Codonopsis is a creeping perennial that is distributed throughout Asia,
especially the provinces of Szechuan and Shanxi in China. Its botanical
name, Codonopsis pilosula, references the plant’s bell-shaped flowers
and hairy aerial parts.
In China, where the herb is known as dangshen, the root of three-year
old plants are harvested in the fall and prepared as a vegetable or
tonic to balance the life force, or qi (pronounced “chee”). Also known
as poor man’s ginseng, Codonopsis is often combined with herbs with
similar properties, such as
astragalus and
lycii berries.
