Codonopsis pilosula is the root of Codonopsis pilosula, a plant of the Campanulaceae family, and is also known as Codonopsis pilosula, Huangshen, Zhonglingcao, Lionhead ginseng, Anticodonopsis pilosula, Huangdongshen, etc. Codonopsis pilosula is sweet and flat in nature, strength

Codonopsis is the root of the Platycodonaceae plant Codonopsis pilosula, also known as Codonopsis pilosula, Huangshen, Zhonglingcao, Lionhead ginseng, Fangcodonopsis pilosula, Huangdongshen, etc. Codonopsis pilosula is sweet and flat in nature, strengthens the spleen and lungs, nourishes blood and promotes body fluids. It is mainly used for spleen and lung qi deficiency, fatigue due to lack of food, cough deficiency and asthma , deficiency of qi and blood etc.

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As a medicine, Codonopsis pilosula was first seen in "Ben Cao Feng Yuan" and is mainly used as a lung-clearing medicine. As a tonic, Codonopsis pilosula was first seen in the "Compendium of Materia Medica", which mentioned that Codonopsis pilosula has the effect of replenishing lung qi and treating lung deficiency.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records: Codonopsis pilosula has the ability to nourish the spleen and stomach, moisten the lungs and promote fluid production, and move the tendons in the middle of the Qi. It is not very different from ginseng. The most valuable one is that it strengthens the spleen and prevents dryness. Codonopsis pilosula is a traditional tonic traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in my country. It is used as both medicine and food. It is often used as a substitute for ginseng and has wide clinical applications.

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In view of the effects of Codonopsis pilosula on promoting body fluids and nourishing blood, nourishing the spleen and lungs, it can replace ginseng in some prescriptions. However, since the medicinal effect of Codonopsis pilosula cannot be maintained for a long time, the dosage is usually increased, but Qi deficiency etc. Ginseng in first aid prescriptions cannot be replaced with Codonopsis pilosula.

In patients with chronic diarrhea and prolapse, deficiency of both Qi and blood, physical fatigue, and weak spleen and lungs, using Codonopsis pilosula instead of ginseng can effectively improve the patient's disease resistance.

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Modern research shows that Codonopsis pilosula mainly contains active ingredients such as sugars, alkaloids, polyacetylenes, glycosides and terpenoids . pharmacological effects involve the gastrointestinal system, lung function, Blood system, immune system, nervous system and many other aspects. The more prominent effects of Codonopsis pilosula are mainly in regulating gastrointestinal function, benefiting the lungs, and nourishing blood.

Codonopsis pilosula has the tonifying spleen effect. Various chemical components in Codonopsis pilosula can participate in pharmacological effects related to gastrointestinal protection and gastrointestinal function regulation. Codonopsis pilosula plays a gastrointestinal protective role, which may be related to improving gastrointestinal motility, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant processes.

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The regulation of gastrointestinal function by Codonopsis pilosula may also be related to the improvement of gastrointestinal motility and pepsin activity. Codonopsis polysaccharide, as one of the active components, may regulate gastrointestinal function by increasing the activity of the related digestive enzyme and improving small intestinal motility disorders.

Codonopsis pilosula has a definite effect on digestive system diseases such as chronic atrophic gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infectious gastric disease, functional dyspepsia spleen deficiency and liver stagnation syndrome.

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Benefitting the lungs is the traditional effect of Codonopsis pilosula. Many studies have shown that Codonopsis pilosula improves lung respiratory function, which may be related to improving the structure and function of alveolar cell-related substances and reducing inflammatory response . Codonopsis polysaccharide may improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by promoting phagocytosis of alveolar cells and reducing related inflammatory responses.

Nourishing blood is also the traditional function of Codonopsis pilosula. Codonopsis pilosula and its chemical components have pharmacological effects such as enhancing hematopoietic function, regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, and preventing hemolysis. It is a commonly used drug in the clinical treatment of anemia.

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Codonopsis polysaccharide may improve blood deficiency symptoms by promoting the spleen to compensate for hematopoiesis rather than enhancing bone marrow hematopoiesis. For qi and blood deficiency type, spleen and kidney yang deficiency type, liver and kidney yin deficiency type and It is effective in treating anemia caused by kidney deficiency and blood stasis.

With the improvement of people's living standards, the awareness of health care has also increased. The health care function of Codonopsis pilosula, as a homologous substance of medicine and food, has attracted more and more attention, and its application in food and health food has become more and more extensive.

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Codonopsis pilosula contains polysaccharides, glucose , fructose , inulin , sucrose, phosphate and 17 kinds of amino acids , including lysine and other 7 kinds of human essential amino acids . In addition, it also contains saponins , volatile oils, fats and 14 elements including potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron, as well as vitamins B1, B2, etc.

Codonopsis pilosula has similar nourishing effects as ginseng, so it is widely used in health drinks and prepared foods . Health foods containing Codonopsis pilosula are currently most commonly used to enhance immunity, followed by improving nutritional anemia and thirdly anti-fatigue.

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However, it should be noted that the efficacy of Codonopsis pilosula is similar to that of ginseng but weak, and the range of biological activity is not as wide as that of ginseng. Therefore, it cannot completely replace ginseng. For patients with non-emergency diseases such as deficiency of qi and blood, physical fatigue, etc., Codonopsis pilosula can be used The treatment effect is still good.

Codonopsis pilosula, which has the same origin as medicine and food, do you understand?

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References: [1] Research progress on quality control of active ingredients in the traditional Chinese medicine Codonopsis pilosula, Chinese Pharmacist , 2021. [2] Analysis of the pharmacology and clinical application of the tonic drug Codonopsis pilosula, Chinese Practical Medicine , 2016. [3] Research progress on the pharmacological effects of Codonopsis pilosula, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Medicine, 2018. [4] Research progress on the pharmacological effects and clinical application of Codonopsis pilosula, World Latest Medical Information Abstracts, 2019.