Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Polygonatum spp. (commonly known as Solomon’s Seal) have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and other Asian healing systems. In TCM, various species such as Polygonatum sibiricum (Huang Jing) and Polygonatum odoratum (Yu Zhu) are traditionally used to nourish the yin, moisten dryness, and alleviate symptoms such as dry cough, particularly those associated with lung yin deficiency. Herbal formularies and classical texts, including the "Compendium of Materia Medica," reference Polygonatum as an adjunct in treating chronic, non-productive coughs, often in the context of broader yin-deficiency syndromes rather than acute infectious coughs. The presumed mechanism is via moistening and nourishing effects on the lung and throat tissues.

However, modern scientific studies directly evaluating Polygonatum for cough are extremely limited. While some research has explored its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulating properties, there is a lack of high-quality clinical trials assessing its efficacy specifically for cough. Thus, current support for its use in cough is based primarily on its long-standing traditional use rather than rigorous scientific validation.

In summary, Polygonatum is traditionally used to support general cough, particularly of a dry or yin-deficiency type, but there is limited direct scientific evidence for this indication.

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