Codonopsis Radix
Official name: Codonopsis Radix
English name: Tangshen
Scientific name: Codonpsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., Codonopsis pilosula Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) L. T. Shen or Codonopsis tangshen Oliv.
Chinese name: 黨參
Chinese phonetic name: Dangshen
Source
Dried root of Codonpsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., Codonopsis pilosula Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) L. T. Shen or Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. (Fam. Zingiberaceae). [1]
Place of origin
Tangshen mainly produced in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu etc. [2][3]
Properties
Tangshen is sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and mainly manifests its therapeutic actions in the spleen and lung meridians. [1]
Major Chemical Constituents
Major active components in Tangshen include saccharides, glycosides, sterol, coumarins and triterpene etc. [4][5][6]
Drug actions in TCM
Tangshen fortify the spleen, replenish lung, nourish blood and engender body fluids.[1]
Traditional Uses in TCM
Traditionally, Tangshen is used to treat hypofunction of the spleen and the lung; dual deficiency of qi and blood; dual deficiency of qi and yin etc.
Tangshen can tonify spleen qi and lung qi
Tangshen is sweet in flavor and neutral in nature, mainly manifests its therapeutic actions in the spleen and lung meridians. Tangshen can tonify spleen and lung qi. Using for deficiency of middle qi, body weakness, loss of appetite, sloppy stool; cough, shortness of breath and faint low voice caused by lung deficiency. Used as ginseng’s alternative in clinical treatment of qi deficiency of the spleen and lung qi,.
The pharmacological actions associated with tonifying spleen and lung qi may be due to the function of promote intestinal absorption, regulate the spasm of digestive tract smooth muscle, improve the ventilation function of the lung, enhance cardiac function and enhance anti-fatigue and hypoxia tolerance.
Tangshen can tonify qi and nourish blood
Tangshen can be used for person with pale or sallow complexion, fatigue, dizziness, palpitations etc., which caused by blood deficiency or qi deficiency.
Modern search found that the Tangshen can improving blood rheology and microcirculation, reduce the index of erythrocyte sclerosis and promote hematopoietic function, which may be related to the qi and blood function in traditional use.
Tangshen can tonify qi and engender fluid
Commonly used for mild situation of thirst and shortness of breath due to exuberant heat damaging fluid or qi deficiency pattern fluid depletion.
Reinforce the healthy qi and eliminate the pathogenic factors
Tangshen can reinforce the healthy qi and eliminate the pathogenic factors, prescribe with exterior-releasing medicinal, offensive purgative medicinal etc. Using for pattern of qi deficiency with external contraction and interior excess pattern with interior deficiency.
The immune function enhancing function and antibacterial antiviral effect may be related to the mechanism of Reinforce the healthy qi of Tangshen.
Pharmacological effects
Studies showed that Tangshen has effects like promote the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), enhance adrenocortical function, enhance immune function, anti-stress, cardiotonic action, dual modulation of blood pressure, enhance hematopoietic function, adjust gastrointestinal motility, hypoxia tolerance, enhance learning and memory ability, anti-fatigue , sedative, anticonvulsant effect, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory etc. [6][7][8][9][10]
Administration and dosage
Decoction, 9-30g.[1]
Cautions
Incompatible with Rhizoma et Radix Veratri.[1]
Reference
[1]國家藥典委員會編《中華人民共和國藥典》2015年版，中國醫藥技術出版社，2015年6月
[2]雷載權主編《中藥學》上海科學技術出版社，2006年6月
[3]吳曉俊,張小波,郭蘭萍,余意,黃璐琦,. 黨參藥材分布區劃研究[J]. 中國中藥雜志,2017,(22).
[4]陳新滋等《名貴藥材鑑別》天地圖書有限公司，2013年9月
[5]馮亞靜,王曉霞,莊鵬宇,張丹陽,高磊,陳金銘,韓剛,. 黨參的化學成分研究[J]. 中國中藥雜志,2017,(1).
[6]孫政華,邵晶,郭玫,. 黨參化學成分及藥理作用研究進展[J]. 安徽農業科學,2015,(33).
[7]趙曉梅,. 分析補益藥黨參的藥理和臨床應用[J]. 中國實用醫藥,2016,(32).
[8]樊長征,洪巧瑜,. 黨參對人體各系統作用的現代藥理研究進展[J]. 中國醫藥導報,2016,(10).
[9]靳貴林,侯嘉,崔治家,楊扶德,. 黨參的本草考證及藥理作用和質量控制的研究進展[J]. 世界中醫藥,2016,(8).
[10]馮佩佩,李忠祥,原忠,. 黨參屬藥用植物化學成分和藥理研究進展[J]. 沈陽藥科大學學報,2012,(4).