- 2025-12
- Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology 149
- Jinrong Bai
- Na Xie
- Ya Hou
- Chenghua Li
- Peiyang Gao
- Luming Qi
- Xiaoyun Nie
- Jierui Yan
- Yong Zeng
- Yi Zhang
- Xianli Meng
- Xiaobo Wang
Study Design
- Type
- Systematic Review
- Methods
- This paper conducted a systematic literature by retrieving Codonopsis Radix, chemical components, herbal verification, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, toxicity and clinical applications within classic works such as Compendium of Materia Medica and databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, Web of Science, ACS, SCOPUS, CNKI, CSTJ, and WANFANG.
Background
Codonopsis Radix, referred to as Dangshen, is a classic qi-tonifying herb in traditional Chinese medicine theory and is also officially recognized as an edible Chinese herbal. Modern scientific research has conducted numerous studies on Codonopsis Radix, but these explorations are scattered across diverse fields.Purpose
This paper aims to integrate the information regarding the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, toxicity and particularly the pharmacodynamics of Codonopsis Radix to clarify its underlying mechanisms and provide guidance for its future investigation.Methods
This paper conducted a systematic literature by retrieving Codonopsis Radix, chemical components, herbal verification, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, toxicity and clinical applications within classic works such as Compendium of Materia Medica and databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, Web of Science, ACS, SCOPUS, CNKI, CSTJ, and WANFANG. The search scope was limited to Chinese and/or English publications from 1993 to 2025.Results
Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) l. T. Shen, and Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. are the official medicinal species of Codonopsis Radix documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. To date, over 100 distinct compounds, encompassing at least 21 classes, have been identified in Codonopsis Radix. Although lobetyolin is regarded as its characteristic component, evidences have found that codonopyrrolidum A/B and tangshenoside I are the key substances for identifying different sources of Codonopsis Radix. Research has confirmed that Codonopsis Radix and its active components have powerful effects in cementing immunity, protecting the stomach and intestines, improving learning and memory, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant. Pharmacological investigations have shown that the broad-spectrum activities of Codonopsis Radix are directly related to the regulation of PI3K/Akt, MAPK/NF-κB, TLR4/NF-κB and AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathways. The active components of Codonopsis Radix (such as polysaccharides, saponins, etc.) are absorbed slowly in the body with moderate bioavailability. And they are mainly distributed in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, and the metabolic process has a relatively low burden on the liver and kidneys.Conclusion
In summary, our findings provide a comprehensive review of Codonopsis Radix, tracing its journey from classical records to the latest scientific reports. Through an integrated analysis of research across various domains, we expect to elucidate the established works, define the unresolved questions and propose a strategic framework for subsequent studies.