Korean Bellflower
Platycodon grandiflorus
Jie geng or doraji, the root of the balloon flower, eaten as a vegetable and used since the Han Dynasty to clear phlegm, ease sore throats and treat cough.
Safety at a glance
- PregnancyNothing recorded
- BreastfeedingNothing recorded
- MedicinesNothing recorded
- Who should avoid itNothing recorded
- AllergiesNothing recorded
- ToxicityNothing recorded
Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.
What is Korean Bellflower?
- Plant family
- Campanulaceae, the bellflower family
- Parts used
- The root, eaten as a vegetable or used as medicine, often honey-processed
- Genus
- Platycodon
- Species
- grandiflorus
Also called
Balloon Flower, Platycodonis Radix, Platycodon
Regional names
Doraji
Traditional names
Jie Geng, Jiegeng
Traditionally used for
- Cough and phlegm (traditional)
- Sore throat (traditional)
- Vegetable
Traditionally described as
- Eased coughs (in animal studies)
Health topics
Where Korean Bellflower appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.
- Cough
A classic Chinese remedy for cough and phlegm; eased coughing in mice. Not tested on its own in trials.
- Sore Throat
Traditionally used for a painful throat. Not tested on its own in trials.
Traditions that use it
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
Called jie geng; first recorded in the Shennong Herbal Classic and used to clear phlegm, ease sore throats and treat cough and lung abscesses.
How it's prepared
Common ways Korean Bellflower is prepared or sold. This isn't advice on how to take it; see Safety below.
- Culinary Preparation
It's widely eaten as a vegetable.[1]Study
Safety
Contamination
The review notes that its heavy-metal content needs monitoring to make sure it's safe.[1]Study
What does the research say?
Traditional use
These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.
Jie geng was first recorded in the Shennong Herbal Classic during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE) and has been used for centuries as both food and medicine. Classical texts use it to:
- Clear mucus and ease a painful throat
- Treat cough with a full chest
- Treat lung abscesses and coughing up pus, in the classic formula Jie Geng Tang with licorice
It's widely eaten as a vegetable and exported to South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.[1]Study
Laboratory & animal research
Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.
In lab and animal studies, the root eased coughing and helped clear phlegm (honey processing made the anti-cough effect stronger). It may also help reduce inflammation, affect the immune system, act as an antioxidant, and slow some cancer cells, and it showed anti-obesity and blood-sugar-lowering effects. These haven't been confirmed in people.[1]Study
Research in people
In an 8-week Korean trial, 100 healthy adults took a red Korean bellflower root extract or a dummy pill. The extract increased the activity of natural killer cells, a type of immune cell, and no serious side effects were seen.[2]Study
In a 12-week Korean trial, 108 overweight adults took one of three doses of Korean bellflower root extract or a dummy pill. The lowest dose reduced body fat, and the highest dose reduced belly fat on scans, compared with the dummy pill.[3]Study
Some breast cancer chemotherapy (anthracyclines) can damage the heart. In a Chinese trial, 125 women with early breast cancer took Korean bellflower granules or a dummy during chemotherapy. Early signs of heart damage were less common with bellflower (8.2% vs 21.9%), and it didn't make the chemotherapy less effective against the cancer. Serious heart failure was rare in both groups.[4]Review or trial
Sources
- [1] Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology and product application of Platycodon grandiflorum: A review · DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2024.01.005Peer-reviewed study
- [2] An 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of red Platycodon grandiflorus root extract on enhancement of immune function · DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153811Peer-reviewed study
- [3] Intervention Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Platycodon grandiflorus Ethanol Extract in Overweight or Moderately Obese Adults: A Single-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial · DOI: 10.3390/nu11102445Peer-reviewed study
- [4] Platycodon grandiflorum Protects Against Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Early Breast Cancer Patients · DOI: 10.1177/1534735420945017Review or clinical trial
This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.