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Codonopsis

Codonopsis pilosula

Also calledDang shen (Chinese) · Lu dang, Tai dang, Baitiao dang (regional trade grades)

In older monographsCodonopsis Radix (drug name)

Dang shen, the dried root of a bellflower-family plant native to much of China and widely cultivated there, is a sweet qi tonic in Chinese medicine and has long been used as a cheaper stand-in for ginseng. Laboratory and animal work is extensive, but no good clinical trials of codonopsis on its own were found; it is almost always used in mixed formulas.

What it is used for

Fatigue and convalescence
Traditional
The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020) lists it for deficiency of spleen and lung qi with poor appetite and easy tiredness, and for deficiency of qi and blood. Classical texts treat it as a substitute for ginseng in chronic weakness. No controlled trials of codonopsis alone were found.¹
Poor appetite
Traditional
Used in Chinese medicine to 'strengthen the spleen' when appetite is poor, and in formulas such as Shen qi bai zhu tang for diarrhoea due to qi deficiency. Evidence is from animal studies on stomach and gut protection, not human trials.^1,2
Cough
Traditional
Chinese Pharmacopoeia: for cough and shortness of breath from lung qi deficiency; Qing-dynasty texts record it steamed with honey to tonify the lungs. No clinical trials found.¹
Anaemia
Traditional
Recorded for 'deficiency of qi and blood' with pallor and palpitations; a 2023 review notes it is used in combination formulas for anaemia, and animal studies report effects on blood formation. No controlled trials of the herb alone.^1,2
Breast-milk supply
Traditional
LactMed notes it has been used as part of a herbal galactogogue mixture; because it is used in mixtures, its own contribution cannot be assessed.³

How it is prepared

decoction

Dried root simmered in water, usually with other herbs; in the classical formula Shen qi bai zhu tang it is combined with astragalus, atractylodes, poria, Chinese yam, liquorice and others.

Shen qi bai zhu tang (as tabulated by Dong et al. 2023): 10 g codonopsis per formula.

Diarrhoea · Fatigue and convalescence

food

Some Codonopsis species are cooked as food in southern China and South-East Asia, in tea, wine, soups and porridge.

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data
Children: No data found.

Toxicity

Acute, subchronic, long-term and genotoxicity tests in mice and rats found no significant toxicity (reviewed by Dong et al. 2023). Human safety data are limited; LactMed states its safety in breastfeeding is unknown.

In the healing traditions

Traditional Chinese Medicine
Dang shen (党参)
Sweet; enters the spleen and lung channels; strengthens the spleen and benefits the lung, nourishes blood and promotes body fluids. Used for spleen and lung qi deficiency, poor appetite, fatigue, cough and breathlessness, and qi-and-blood deficiency; long mixed with or substituted for ginseng.
Named in Qing-dynasty materia medica (Ben jing feng yuan; Ben cao cong xin, 1757); Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020

Active compounds

lobetyolin: polyacetylene glycoside; the Chinese Pharmacopoeia's marker compound for quality control
Codonopsis polysaccharides and inulin-type fructans: main focus of immune and gut studies in animals
tangshenosides: lignan glycosides

History

The name Dang shen first appears in Qing-dynasty texts (Ben jing feng yuan calls it 'Shang dang ren shen'), though the root had been mixed with ginseng long before. The 1920 Ben cao zheng yi judged its action 'not far from' Panax ginseng, and it was used in practice as a substitute for ginseng.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.