Platycodon
桔梗 · Jié Gěng
Soothes sore throats and loosens stubborn chest mucus
Properties
NeutralNeutral botanicalBitter, Pungent
Concerns
What it does
Platycodon takes on sore, scratchy throats and the chesty cough that comes with thick mucus. In TCM, it lifts and opens the lung, the system that governs breathing and the throat. It also helps deliver other herbs upward, which is why it appears in so many cold-and-flu formulas as a supporting player. In Korea, the root is eaten as a pickled side dish called doraji.
How to take it
Decoct 3–9g of dried platycodon root in water for 20 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 2x daily for cough or sore throat. Usually paired with licorice root.
Look for it in Yin Qiao San at the first sign of a sore-throat cold
Buy peeled doraji from a Korean grocery. Soak overnight to remove bitterness, then pickle, stir-fry with chili, or simmer in soups.
Try doraji-muchim, a Korean spicy salad, alongside grilled meat
Safety
- Skip in hot, dry coughs with little or no phlegm. It can worsen dryness
- High doses can cause nausea or vomiting. Stay within recommended amounts
- Skip if you have an active stomach ulcer
- Talk to your doctor before starting medicinal use, especially if you take medication
Where it comes from
Platycodon (Platycodon grandiflorus) is the same plant that landscapers call balloon flower for its puffy purple buds. It grows wild across Korea, China, and Japan, and the thick root is harvested in spring or autumn. Korean cuisine prizes it as doraji, peeled and pickled or stir-fried. In TCM it shows up in Yin Qiao San for sore-throat colds and in many other lung formulas as the 'boat' that carries other herbs upward to the chest and throat.