Codonopsis

Codonopsis pilosula, known as dangshen, is a perennial flowering plant of the bellflower family, native to Asia, where it grows in forests, meadows and scrub. Its twining stems reach 2 metres, with ovate, usually hairy leaves, solitary yellow-green bell-shaped flowers spotted with purple inside, and a capsule up to 2.4 centimetres long. The roots, used in traditional Chinese medicine, are carrot-shaped or cylindrical, sometimes branched, and up to 30 centimetres long and 3 wide. They are a constituent of Radix Codonopsis, a mixture used in herbal medicine. The source records laboratory research into the root for cardiovascular, lung and digestive conditions, including a study in rats in which an extract reduced stomach acid production and stress-induced ulcers. The plant contains the compound perlolyrine. The page lists three subspecies: handeliana, pilosula, and tangshen, the last widely cultivated.