The Synergy of Food and Medicine: Strengthening the Spleen and Nourishing the Lungs
——Dang Shen (Codonopsis Radix)
Dang Shen (Codonopsis Radix) is a medicinal food that strengthens the spleen and nourishes the lungs, and promotes blood production and fluid generation. It contains rich chemical components and pharmacological activities, including neuroprotection, gastrointestinal protection, cardiovascular protection, blood lipid regulation, blood sugar reduction, anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and immune modulation effects. It is commonly used in medicinal dishes and health products, and is widely applied in pharmaceuticals, such as Compound Dang Shen Tablets and Shen Mai Decoction, possessing high medicinal and economic value.
Do you know the origin of the name Dang Shen?
Dang Shen was not recorded before the Ming Dynasty; texts like the Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic and Compendium of Materia Medica only mentioned ginseng. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Xue Min’s Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica cited Weng Youliang’s Discrimination of Errors stating: “Dang Shen can replace ginseng… the one from Shaanxi is second best, with a very sweet taste, better than jujube meat.” Therefore, before the Ming Dynasty, Dang Shen and ginseng may have been used interchangeably. In the Qing Dynasty and thereafter, they were gradually distinguished, laying the foundation for subsequent research on Dang Shen.
In the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Lu’s Compendium of Materia Medica recorded: “The one produced in the Taihang Mountains of Shanxi is called Shang Dang Ren Shen, although it lacks the strong warming and tonifying effects, it has the ability to clear the lungs with a sweet and neutral nature, unlike Sha Shen which is cold and primarily dispels lung qi.” Here, Shang Dang Ren Shen refers to Dang Shen.
Dang Shen was first recorded in the Qing Dynasty by Wu Yiluo in New Materia Medica, mentioning the characteristic of Dang Shen having a “lion’s head” shape, stating: “The best is the one with a lion’s head from Shang Dang. Nowadays, true Dang Shen is hard to find; the varieties sold in the market are numerous and mostly unusable, only the Dang Shen from Fang Feng is of moderate quality. The true one has a lion’s head, while the one with hard stripes is false.”
In De Pei Materia Medica, it is recorded: “Shang Dang Shen is sweet and neutral. It enters the channels of the hand and foot Taiyin, tonifying the middle qi and harmonizing the spleen and stomach.” This records the flavor and efficacy of Dang Shen.
Compendium of Materia Medica states: “Dang Shen, produced in Shanxi’s Luan’an is the best… it cannot match the great power of ginseng.”
In summary, Dang Shen is also known as Shang Dang Ren Shen, Fang Feng Dang Shen, and Shang Dang Shen. The modern Chinese dictionary (7th edition) mentions that it is primarily produced in Shang Dang, now in the Changzhi area of Shanxi Province, where there is a district called Shang Dang District, which was part of the Jining Dao Luan’an Prefecture during the Qing Dynasty. The character “Dang” represents its place of origin.
How to identify Dang Shen?
There are about 39 species of plants in the Dang Shen genus in China, most of which have medicinal value. The 2020 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China lists its source as the dried roots of Dang Shen Codonopsis pilosula, thin-flowered Dang Shen C. pilosula var. modesta, or Sichuan Dang Shen C. tangshen, which are sweet and neutral, entering the spleen and lung channels, and have the effects of strengthening the spleen and nourishing the lungs, and promoting blood production and fluid generation.
Dang Shen
Thin-flowered Dang Shen
Sichuan Dang Shen
Plant Names and Facts states: “Dang Shen is a climbing plant, with leaves not opposite, nodes as large as fingers, wild ones have white sap, and flowers bloom in autumn like Sha Shen, with blue-white color.” It also includes a complete image of Dang Shen, which can help in accurate identification, and its description matches modern Dang Shen.
Next, we will present the botanical characteristics of Dang Shen in the form of scientific illustrations.
[Flavor and Channel Entry] Sweet, neutral. Enters the spleen and lung channels.
[Functions and Indications] Strengthens the spleen and nourishes the lungs, promotes blood production and fluid generation. Used for spleen and lung qi deficiency, poor appetite, fatigue, cough with shortness of breath, insufficient qi and blood, pale complexion, palpitations, shortness of breath, thirst due to fluid damage, and internal heat with thirst.
[Dosage] 9-30g.
[Caution] Not suitable for use with Li Lu.
Today is the Grain Rain Festival
How to consume Dang Shen during this season?
Recommended Medicinal Dish:
Steamed Eel with Dang Shen
1000g eel, 10g Dang Shen, 5g Angelica, 50g Chinese Yam, 100g cooked ham, 500ml clear chicken broth, salt, Shaoxing wine, pepper, ginger, and green onion to taste.
Preparation Method
1. Wash and soak Dang Shen and Angelica; slice the cooked ham; wash and slice ginger and green onion. 2. Clean the eel, remove the internal organs, rinse with water, blanch briefly in boiling water, scrape off the eel’s slime, cut off the head and tail, and chop the meat into 6cm long pieces. 3. In a pot, add clear water, half of the ginger, green onion, and Shaoxing wine; bring to a boil, then blanch the eel pieces briefly and remove them into a soup bowl. 4. Place the ham, Dang Shen, Angelica, and Chinese Yam on top of the eel pieces, add green onion, ginger, Shaoxing wine, pepper, and salt, then pour in the chicken broth. 5. Seal with wet cotton paper, steam in a steamer for about 1 hour until cooked; remove, unseal, and discard the ginger and green onion.
Nutritional Benefits
Dang Shen is sweet and neutral. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and nourishing the lungs, promoting blood production and fluid generation. It is used for symptoms of spleen and lung qi deficiency, poor appetite, fatigue, cough with shortness of breath, insufficient qi and blood, pale complexion, palpitations, shortness of breath, thirst due to fluid damage, and internal heat with thirst.
Angelica is sweet and pungent, warm. It has the effects of nourishing blood, activating blood circulation, regulating menstruation, and relieving pain. It is used for blood deficiency with pale complexion, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, cold abdominal pain, rheumatic pain, injuries, and abscesses.
Chinese Yam is sweet and neutral. It has the effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach, generating fluids, nourishing the lungs, and tonifying the kidneys. It is used for spleen deficiency with poor appetite, chronic diarrhea, lung deficiency with cough, kidney deficiency with nocturnal emissions, leukorrhea, frequent urination, and internal heat with thirst.
Eel can replenish qi and blood, strengthen muscles and bones, and dispel wind and dampness. Compendium of Materia Medica records that eel is “sweet, warm, and non-toxic,” which can both nourish essence and blood, and “eliminate dampness, wind, and evil qi.” Combined with Dang Shen to tonify qi, Angelica to nourish blood and activate circulation, and Chinese Yam to tonify the three burners, along with ham and chicken broth as nourishing ingredients, this dish has warming and tonifying effects on qi and blood, strengthens muscles and bones, and promotes blood circulation. It is suitable for health maintenance during the Grain Rain Festival; at the same time, this dish is complete in color, aroma, and taste, making it a delightful health dish.
Precautions
This dish is slightly warm. Patients with hypertension, post-stroke sequelae, hyperthyroidism, active pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, acute inflammation, and pruritic skin diseases should use it with caution.
References
[1] Lan Xiaoyan, Zhou Li, Li Xiang, et al. Research Progress on Dang Shen and Prediction Analysis of Its Quality Markers [J/OL]. China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica: 1-20 [2023-04-20]. https://doi.org/10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20221231.202.
[2] Su Yuanjin, Xi Jiayu, Shi Qi, et al. Research Progress on Dang Shen as a Medicinal Food [J]. Chinese Herbal Medicine, 2023, 54(8): 2607-2617.
[3] Li Fengchao, Li Huimin, Zhang Yi, et al. Materia Medica Verification of Local Products of Dang Shen [J]. China Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae, 2021, 27(15): 132-138.
[4] Huang Yuanyuan, Zhang Yuan, Kang Liping, et al. Research Progress on Chemical Components and Pharmacological Activities of Codonopsis Plants [J]. Chinese Herbal Medicine, 2018, 49(1): 239-250.
[5] Zhengzhou Orthopedic Hospital of Dayu Bone Medicine. Medicinal Dish “Food” Light | Try Steamed Eel with Dang Shen during the Grain Rain Season.
Botanical Scientific Illustration Collection
Small white frame
Image size:
20.3×25.3cm
Outer frame size:
23.3×28.3cm
Large white frame
Image size:
40.5×50.8cm
Outer frame size:
54.0×43.6cm
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