My Herbs 1

dilated at the base with elongated anthers.
The stigma is white and bristly.
Sepals are broadly lance-shaped or narrowly
oblong; the sinus between calyx
lobes is narrow and pointed. The fruit
when ripe has three compartments
containing a great number of brown,
shiny and smooth seeds.
The plant grows mainly in China,
where it is sold in many commercial
forms. It can also be found in southern
parts of the Far East, and in Southeast
Asia. There it is widespread as an undergrowth,
in thick clumps of bushes
on the edge of forests and along
streams and river banks, up to 2,300
feet (700 meters) above sea level.
In its entire area it is also cultivated as
a commercial therapeutic herb. Traditional
Chinese medicine also makes use
of other species: Tang shen (Codonopsis
tangshen) is a creeping vine up to
10 feet long (3 meters), with ovate
leaves pointed at the end and hairy on
the edges, very similar to dang shen. Its
flowers have a dull-green crown with
purple stripes and veins. After blossoming
it produces white-purple twinned
fruits on a long stem. It was originally
from the Chinese province of Hubei,
but because it of its pharmacological
importance it is widely cultivated, e.g.,
in Sichuan province.
Codonopsis lanceolata has a climbing
stalk up to one yard (1 meter) long. Its
leaves are lanceolate, smooth, and furrowed
on the edges. Its flowers have
a dull grey-green to yellow-green
crown, with purple veins on the outside
and purple blotches on the inside.
Seeds of this species are winged. It is
distributed in China, Manchuria,
Korea, and Japan.
Codonopsis javanica is a vine with
heart-shaped leaves which have roughly
scalloped edges ending in a point. The
DANG ZHEN MAY
HELP REMOVE LONG
LASTING IMMUNITY
PROBLEMS
flowers have a purplish base and red
veins on the outside. It is found mainly
in Malaysia and Vietnam, where the
roots are used in traditional medicine.
THERAPEUTIC USES
The drug has uses similar to ginseng,
however with lesser effects. It strengthens
the body and is taken for chronic
fatigue, reduced sex drive, loss of appetite,
and hypertension (high blood
pressure) or recuperation after surgery,
illness, giving birth, or from a weakened
immune system. It also improves
one’s condition after prolonged
chemotherapy or radiation treatment
for cancer. It is used in treating asthma,
kidney, or intestinal inflammations,
type 2 diabetes, insomnia, or fever. It
can also help with anemia, for it increases
the red blood cell count, and
during leukemia, where it reduces the
number of leukocytes.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE
The recommended daily dose is
10–30 grams (1/3–1 oz) of the dried
herb, most often taken in two doses on
an empty stomach. Normally one takes
it as an infusion or as a root extract.
Place about 100 grams (3 oz)of the
dried root into one liter of 60% ethanol,
and let it infuse for several weeks. Then
take one teaspoon 2–3 times daily. Its
tops are a traditional Chinese medication
for general scleroderma, with the
goal of improving nutrition and immunity,
aiding the blood circulation, and
increasing overall vitality.
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