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Jie Geng桔梗

Platycodonis Radix · Balloon Flower Root · Platycodon Root

Herbs that Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing 化痰止咳平喘药《神农本草经》

Overview

Bitter, acrid and neutral, it opens the Lung outward and upward — loosening phlegm, easing a tight cough and relieving a sore, swollen throat. It also does structural work in a prescription: used in small amount as an envoy it carries the other herbs to the chest, throat and head, which is why it appears wherever the target sits above the diaphragm. Dry-fried Jie Geng is gentler on a delicate stomach, while honey-prepared Jie Geng leans towards moistening and suits a dry, unproductive cough.

Nature & Flavor

Bitter, acrid · Neutral

Channels

Lung

Typical Dosage

3–10 g in decoction
桔梗Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Diffuses the Lung, expels phlegmCough with phlegm that will not come up, in cold and hot patterns alike, with a stifling chest.
  • Benefits the throat, restores the voiceSore, swollen throat and hoarseness — the standard pairing is with Gan Cao 甘草.
  • Expels pusLung abscess with foul, purulent sputum.
  • Guides other herbs upwardA small dose acts as envoy, directing a formula to the chest, throat and head.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Jie Geng

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Cough with sticky, hard-to-expectorate phlegm
    - Sore swollen throat, hoarseness, loss of voice
    - Lung abscess with purulent sputum
    - As an envoy directing a formula upward

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

BronchitisPharyngitisProductive coughLaryngitis

Contraindications

Cautions

Its upward, dispersing direction makes it wrong for coughing of blood, for yin-deficient dry cough, and for patterns in which qi is already rising. The saponins it contains irritate the stomach: amounts above the usual range can bring on nausea or vomiting, and it is used cautiously where there is gastric ulcer.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.