Botanical name: Codonopsis pilosula
Other names: Dang shen
Codonopsis pilosula
Other name: Bonnet Bellflower
Chinese name: Dang-Shen
Codonopsis is an important medicine plant used in traditional Chinese medicine.
In China the plant is known as ginseng for poor people, because it is easier to cultivate than ginseng.
Healing power:
Codonopsis is used as a tonic
- for appetite,
- diabetes,
- dyspepsia,
- fatigue,
- anemia,
- shallow and strained breathing.
- In rabbits it has been shown, that red cells have been boosted by taking roots.
How to use:
Take the sweet tasting roots.
Description of the plant:
The creeping and climbing plant grows perennial and can withstand frost. Codonopsis reaches a height up to 30 cm.
During wintertime the green parts of the plant die. In spring the plant gets green again.
Codonopsis wants a normal soil at a halfshady location and gets light-green bell-shaped flowers.
Codonopsis pilosula: Samen/seeds
Propagation:
Start seeds in flats or direcly into the garden in late winter.
A cold period of about + 5°C during a time of 2 - 4 weeks promotes germination.
After ca 26 days the seeds germinate.
I sowed Codonopsis on 27th February 2005 and on 25th March 2005 it germinated.
