Balloon flowers are a popular ingredient in a few famous South Korean dishes, especially the seasoned and bibimbap salads. And medicinally it is a common Chinese herbal medicine, which is mainly used to eliminate phlegm, relieve cough, reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and blood sugar, lose weight, fight tumor, improve human immunity, etc. Traditionally it has been widely used in various herbal prescriptions, Chinese patent medicine and cosmetics. Today balloon flower root tea and extract are much more popular because of their convenience.
Other medical uses for Radix Platycodi include the treatment of viral infections and high blood pressure.