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Balloon Flower

Image of Balloon Flower
Tatters ❀ from Brisbane, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Balloon Flower (Platycodon
grandiflorus
)

Platycodon grandiflorus is found primarily in Northeast Asian countries such as China, Japan and Korea (Zhang et al., 2015).  For thousands of years this perennial herb has been used to treat hypotension, lipid reduction, atherosclerosis, inflammation, relieving cough and phlegm, promoting cholic acid secretion, and as an antioxidant (Ji et al., 2020).  In Korea, the roots are added to salads, cold soup, vegetables or just pan fried and served on their own (Nyakudya, Jeong, Lee, & Jeong, 2014). In traditional Chinese medicine, Platycodon grandiflorus is used to treat chest congestion, sore throats, tonsillitis, colds and coughs (Nyakudya et al., 2014). 

Latest Research

  • Kikyo-to for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infection-Associated Sore Throat Pain: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
    by Naoto Ishimaru on June 1, 2022 at 10:00 am

    Objectives: Kikyo-to (Kt), a herbal medicine composed of glycyrrhiza root (Chinese licorice) and Platycodon root extracts (Chinese bellflower), is commonly used in Japan for relief of throat symptoms related to acute upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Its effectiveness on URTI-associated sore throat pain over 30 min is examined here in comparison with a placebo. Design: Randomized double-blinded multicenter trial. Settings/Location: Two local Japanese medical centers with primary care….

  • A Case Report of Kampo Medicine Improving the Symptoms of Antiresorptive Agent-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ARONJ)
    by Yoko Yamazaki on September 2, 2021 at 10:00 am

    A 56-year-old woman visited an oral surgery clinic in October X with sudden pain in the left mandible. She was diagnosed with left mandibular osteomyelitis based on head computed tomography examination findings. The pain did not reduce even with amoxicillin and loxoprofen sodium hydrate. The patient was then referred to our clinic for treatment. Hainosankyuto (7.5 g/d), loxoprofen sodium hydrate (180 mg/d), and mecobalamin (1500 μg/d) alleviated the pain. However, numbness and tingling pain in…

  • Platycodon grandiflorus Fermented Extracts Attenuate Endotoxin-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice
    by So Ra Kim on September 16, 2020 at 10:00 am

    Endotoxin-induced acute liver injury is mediated by an excessive inflammatory response, hepatocellular oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Traditional medicinal plants have been used to treat various disorders. Platycodon grandifloras (PG) has been shown to be beneficial in relieving cough and asthma and to have anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic activities. The pharmacological action of PG is mainly due to saponins, flavonoids, phenolic, and other compounds. However, raw PG exhibits some…

  • Bioactive platycodins from Platycodonis Radix: Phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, toxicology and pharmacokinetics
    by Le-Le Zhang on May 26, 2020 at 10:00 am

    Platycodonis Radix, the root of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC., is a well-known edible herbal medicine. It is a common vegetable used for the preparation of side dish, kimchi, dessert, and tea. Besides, it has been used to treat respiratory disease including cough, excessive phlegm, and sore throat for a long history. In the past decades, the bioactive components and the pharmacological activities of Platycodonis Radix have been widely investigated. Thereinto, platycodins, the…

  • Dietary Platycodon grandiflorus Attenuates Hepatic Insulin Resistance and Oxidative Stress in High-Fat-Diet Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
    by Weixin Ke on February 21, 2020 at 11:00 am

    The root of Platycodon grandiflorus (PG), with hepatoprotective and anti-oxidation effects, has a long history of being used as food and herbal medicine in Asia. However, the mechanism of PG against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of PG suppressing the development of NAFLD induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with either a standard chow diet or a HFD, either supplemented with or…

References

Ji, M. Y., Bo, A., Yang, M., Xu, J. F., Jiang, L. L., Zhou, B. C., & Li, M. H. (2020). The Pharmacological Effects and Health Benefits of Platycodon grandiflorus-A Medicine Food Homology Species. Foods, 9(2). doi:10.3390/foods9020142

Nyakudya, E., Jeong, J. H., Lee, N. K., & Jeong, Y. S. (2014). Platycosides from the Roots of Platycodon grandiflorum and Their Health Benefits. Prev Nutr Food Sci, 19(2), 59-68. doi:10.3746/pnf.2014.19.2.059

Zhang, L., Wang, Y., Yang, D., Zhang, C., Zhang, N., Li, M., & Liu, Y. (2015). Platycodon grandiflorus – an ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 164, 147-161. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.01.052