Name: Codonopsis
Latin Name: Codonopsis Pilosulae Radix
Pin Yin: Ren Sheng
Location: Shanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, and North-eastern China

Overview: The herb is sweet in flavour, neutral in nature, and acts on the lung and spleen channels. Being sweet, neutral, noist, not dry, not greasy and mild in potency, it can not only invigorate spleen-qi but also nourish blood and promote the production of the body fluid. With its effects similar to but weaker than those of ginseng, dangshen can be used to replace ginseng but the dosage of dangshen should be doubled as much as that of ginseng wherever ginseng is used except for emergency treatment of collapse. Therefore, dangshen is often used to treat deficiency of spleen-qi and lung-qi and deficiency of body fluid and blood.

History: As famous as ginseng in China, this herb helps strengthen the lungs, spleen and stomach. A twining and climbing herbaceous perennial native to China, codonopsis is sometimes known as 'Poor Man's Ginseng' or 'Bastard Ginseng', as it builds vital force and tones the blood. It is also nutritious, sweet and warming, containing high levels of immune-enhancing olysaccharides. Dang Shen roots are used for energy deficiency, strengthening the immune system, lowering blood pressure, helping lack of appetite and invigorating the spleen.

Primary Uses:

• Invigorates the spleen
• Replenishes the middle-jiao energy
• Promotes the production of normal body fluids
• Nourishes the blood
• Promotes production of body fluid and blood circulation

Parts Used: Root, leaves

Safety: Not to use in cases of infection of the digestive system. Incompatible with li lu (Veratrum nigrum L.)

Supporting Research:

• The type of insufficiency of Qi and blood stasis was treated by promoting the circulation of Qi to remove blood stasis with drugs of Huangqi (Radix Astragali), Dangshen (Radix Codonopsis), Renshen (Radix Ginseng), Danshen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae), Chishao (Radix Paeoniae Ruba), Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), and Chuangxiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong).¹
• This paper had proved that the inherent relation between Qi and immune response of organism, and that the Codonopsis pilosulae and Astragalus Injection could promote immune response by means of reducing Ts cells.²
• Both ABCI (consisted of R. Salviae miltiorrhizea; Rh. Ligusticum wallichii and F1. Carthamus tinctorius) and RQI (consisted of R. Codonopsis Pilosulae and R. Astragalus membranaceus), though without positive myodynamia, showed certain inhibitory effect of left ventricular remodeling in rats with left heart failure after myocardial infarction.³

¹Sun Guanlan, Ren Jianlin and Sun Qingjun, Ningjin County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Province 253400, [Advances in TCM Treatment of Senile Dementia].

²Zhou Y, Yan XZ., [Experimental study of qi deficiency syndrome and Codonopsis pillosulae and Astragalus injection on the immune response in mice], Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1989 May;9(5):286-8, 262.

³Wang ZT, Wang SR, Zhao MJ., Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of TCM, Beijing, [Comparative study on effect of recipe for activating blood circulation and replenishing Qi on left ventricular remodeling in rats with left heart failure after myocardial infarction], Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2002 May;22(5):376-8.