Benefits
Sarcopenia trial protocol only, no results published
A 2022 protocol paper from Kyung Hee University describes a planned trial: 104 people with reduced muscle strength, one 750 mg tablet a day of C. lanceolata water extract or a matching crystalline cellulose placebo, 12 weeks, with the Short Physical Performance Battery as the primary outcome. No results have been published, so nobody has been shown to benefit. Two of the authors work for MILAE Bioresources, the company behind the extract, and the trial sponsor manufactured both the tablet and the placebo.
Memory tested in mice; the one human trial was never reported
Fermented C. lanceolata at 300, 500 and 800 mg/kg reduced scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice, with the effect reaching significance at 800 mg/kg (Weon 2014). The same group reported acetylcholinesterase inhibition and raised hippocampal BDNF and CREB in a separate amyloid-beta mouse model (Weon 2016). These are mouse doses in chemically induced memory-loss models. A human trial was run: 60 adults with memory complaints took 525 or 1,050 mg/day of fermented extract or placebo for 8 weeks, with attention and working memory as the primary outcome (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03439098, completed May 2016). Its results have never been posted or published, so there is still no reported cognitive result in people.
Anti-obesity in diet-induced obese mice
Anti-obesity activity in diet-induced obese mice. Preclinical evidence; human metabolic translation not established.
Marker compounds used for identity testing
Tangshenoside I and lobetyolin are used as analytical marker compounds for this root. Lobetyolin does not distinguish the species: it is a general Codonopsis marker reported in C. pilosula and C. tubulosa as well as C. lanceolata. No published standardization requirement applies to retail deodeok supplements, so marker content is not guaranteed from one product to another.
Laboratory compound isolation, 2024 (test tube only)
A 2024 phytochemistry paper isolated deodeokaloid, a new indole alkaloid N-glycoside, from the root alongside tangshenoside I, tangshenoside IV and chlorogenic acid. In test-tube assays the anti-Helicobacter pylori activity (36.8 percent growth inhibition) came from tangshenoside IV, and the strongest antioxidant activity came from chlorogenic acid. Deodeokaloid itself was not the active compound in either assay. Nothing here was tested in animals or people.
Traditional lung classification, untested in people
In the 'sand ginseng' (沙蔘 sasam) tradition the root was classed as lung-focused, in contrast to C. pilosula (Dang Shen), which was classed as spleen-focused. That is a historical classification, not a medical indication. The only modern respiratory work is a mouse model of allergic lung inflammation. No human respiratory outcome has been measured, and this root should not be used to treat any lung condition.
Korean culinary integration
Deodeok is consumed as food in Korea: deodeok-gui (gochujang-marinated grilled vegetarian main dish), jeon (pan-fried), kimchi, fusion salads, and deodeok-ju (traditional alcohol). Extensive dietary use record supports the favorable safety profile.
Mechanism of action
Acetylcholinesterase inhibition (cognitive)
Mouse studies found fermented C. lanceolata inhibited acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine. In those animals the effect was small. Whether it changes acetylcholine, memory or attention in a person taking a supplement dose is unknown: a 60-person memory trial finished in 2016 and never published its results.
BDNF and CREB neurotrophic upregulation
Increased BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and CREB expression, neurotrophic mechanisms supporting memory consolidation and synaptic plasticity. This is a mouse model finding.
Lobetyolin polyacetylene bioactivity
Lobetyolin is a polyacetylene found across the Codonopsis genus, including C. pilosula and C. tubulosa as well as C. lanceolata, so it does not separate the species. Polyacetylenes show anti-inflammatory activity in cell and animal work. None of this chemistry has been tied to a measured effect in people.
Anti-obesity phenolic compound profile
HPLC-DAD characterized phenolic compounds with anti-obesity activity in C57BL/6 mice. The multi-compound phenolic profile contributes to the metabolic-effect rationale.
Pulmonary anti-inflammatory (TCM lung-focused)
TCM tradition positions C. lanceolata as 'lung-focused' for bronchitis, asthma, and cough. The only modern work is a mouse model of allergic lung inflammation, in which the extract reduced eosinophil infiltration and mucus production and lowered IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. No human respiratory trial has been run.
Deodeokaloid + indole alkaloid antimicrobial
A 2024 paper isolated the new alkaloid deodeokaloid from the root. In that paper the anti-Helicobacter pylori activity was attributed to tangshenoside IV and the antioxidant activity to chlorogenic acid, not to deodeokaloid. All of it was test-tube work.
Clinical trials
Not a completed human efficacy trial. The study type is stated in the title.
104 adults planned; no participant results published
Park J et al. 2022 (Medicine 101:e30773) is a study protocol, not a result. It sets out a plan to randomize 104 volunteers with reduced muscle strength to one 750 mg tablet a day of C. lanceolata water extract or a matching crystalline cellulose placebo for 12 weeks, with the Short Physical Performance Battery as the primary outcome. Two authors work for MILAE Bioresources, the company behind the extract, and the sponsor manufactured both tablets. A PubMed search for the results returned nothing, so no outcome from this trial is known.
Not a completed human efficacy trial. The study type is stated in the title.
Mice. No human participants.
Weon JB et al. 2014 (Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2014:319436). Mice, not people. Fermented C. lanceolata at 300, 500 and 800 mg/kg was given against scopolamine-induced impairment; the 800 mg/kg dose improved performance in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests. Acetylcholinesterase activity fell and hippocampal BDNF and CREB rose. The one human cognitive trial of this plant, 60 adults over 8 weeks (NCT03439098), completed in 2016 and has never reported results.
Not a completed human efficacy trial. The study type is stated in the title.
Mice. No human participants.
Lee JS et al. 2014 (Nutrients 6:4663-77). Male C57BL/6 mice, not people. Extract at 60, 180 and 360 mg/kg/day alongside a 60 percent high-fat diet for 12 weeks lowered body weight, subcutaneous and visceral fat weight, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, glucose and insulin compared with the high-fat diet alone. No weight or metabolic outcome has been measured in humans.