Herbal Textual Research on Platycodonis Radix in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

In this paper， the name， origin， quality evaluation， producing area and processing methods of Platycodonis Radix used in the famous classical formulas are researched by consulting related materia medicas， prescription books and medical books of the past dynasties. It was found that Platycodonis Radix was the correct name in the materia medicas of the past dynasties， which was named for its "roots are strong but the stems are straight". Its dominant base of the past dynasties was Platycodon grandiflorus， and since the Ming and Qing dynasties， Hexian county of Anhui has been respected as the representative authentic producing area. In modern times， it has been concluded that the quality of Platycodonis Radix is best if the body is dry， thick and uniform， solid， white in color， and bitter in taste. In ancient times， the processing methods of Platycodonis Radix were mainly removing the reed head and floating skin， rice simmering and drying， and slicing and micro-frying. In modern times， its processing methods have been mainly simplified to peeling and cutting into thick slices. Therefore， it is recommended to use the dry roots of P. grandiflorus and its raw products in the famous classical formulas.