Medicinals
jié gěng / 桔梗 / 桔梗 / platycodon [root];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Platycodonis Radix
Alternate English names: balloonflower root; Chinese bellflower root
Alternate Chinese names: 苦梗 kǔ gěng; 白药 bái yào; 苦桔梗 kǔ jié gěng
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Phlegm-transforming cough-relieving panting-calming agents / Phlegm-transforming agents
Properties: Bitter, acrid; balanced.
Channel entry: lung channel.
Indications:
- Diffuses the lung and transforms phlegm: Cough with copious phlegm and oppression in the chest due to nondiffusion of lung qì.
- Disinhibits the throat: Painful swollen throat, loss of voice.
- Expels pus: Pulmonary welling-abscesses with ejection of pus.
- Additional uses: Jié gěng is used to diffuse lung qì to free the urine and stool. It may be used for dribbling urinary block or constipation.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 3–10g in decoctions.
Warning:
Jié gěng is upbearing and dispersing. It should be used with care in vomiting, in dizziness, and in coughing of blood due to yīn vacuity with effulgent fire. If taken in excessive quantities, it easily produces nausea and vomiting owing to saponins that irritate the gastric mucosa. Also, its saponins have a hemolytic effect that makes it unsuitable for administration by injection.
Product Description:
This spindle-shaped root has an overall length of 6–15 cm and is 1–2 cm in diameter. The upper portion has the saucer-shaped stem base and bud traces. The exterior surface is a pale whitish yellow and has deep, contorted longitudinal creases, as well as fine transverse wrinkles. It is hard and breaks easily producing a coarse fracture, and revealing the pale-yellow wood of the interior. The decocting pieces are fine longitudinal slices.
Quality:
Dry, firm, white, evenly sized roots are the best.
Product Area:
ānhuī, Jiāngsū, Shāndōng, Héběi, Hénán, Guìzhōu, Korea, and Japan.