the root and root bark are harvested in spring and autumn as "Yuan Zhi" — first recorded in Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica (Han Dynasty, >2,000 years).
ranks as the third most frequently used single herb in clinical applications of cognitive enhancement prescriptions in TCM, with more than 870 traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions containing Polygalae Radix.

in the same pharmacological category as major pharmaceutical antidepressants.

the Alzheimer's work is multi-mechanistic in a way that pharmaceutical drugs aren't: it degrades Aβ through two separate enzyme systems, blocks Aβ aggregation directly, reduces tau phosphorylation, repairs synapses, and supports acetylcholine simultaneously.

320 identified metabolites across saponins, xanthones, and oligosaccharide esters.

antitumor and antiaging effects among confirmed pharmacological activities.

onjisaponins and xanthones induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines through caspase-3/8/Bax pathway modulation.

antiarrhythmic activity from onjisaponin cardiac effects.
P. tenuifolia treatment significantly prevented decreases in perfusion pressure, aortic flow, coronary flow, and cardiac output under ischemic conditions.

polygalasaponins (25–500 mg/kg) produce sleep-enhancing effects. tenuifolin saponin derived from Polygalae Radix exhibits sleep-enhancing effects.

norepinephrine reuptake inhibition is the same mechanism as pharmaceutical antidepressants including venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta) — but from a plant oligosaccharide rather than a synthetic molecule.

pectin polysaccharide RP02-1 enhances expression of insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) and neprilysin (NEP) — two main enzymes involved in Aβ degradation — and directly inhibits Aβ aggregation. Polygala tenuifolia polysaccharide reduces Aβ deposition, activates ERK pathway proteins, enhances synaptic plasticity, improves spatial cognitive deficits, reduces hippocampal CA3 damage, and maintains cholinergic system balance.

raw Polygalae Radix can irritate the throat and exhibits gastrointestinal toxicity with long-term use or excessive doses. main toxic metabolite is the saponin fraction. processing (removing the woody core, honey processing) reduces gastrointestinal irritation.