The benefits and effects of sand ginseng (radix adenophorae/glehniae) are mainly to nourish yin and clear the lungs, and to benefit the stomach and promote fluid production.

Sand ginseng is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb, with the plant root used as medicine; the types commonly seen on the market fall into two main categories: South sand ginseng (Adenophora) and North sand ginseng (Glehnia littoralis). South sand ginseng comes from plants of the Campanulaceae family, while North sand ginseng comes from the umbellifer Glehnia littoralis; the two have different sources, but both have a long history of medicinal use and their traditional effects are also fairly similar.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, sand ginseng is sweet in taste and slightly cold in nature, entering the lung and stomach meridians; it is traditionally believed to have the effects of nourishing yin and clearing the lungs, and benefiting the stomach and promoting fluid production, and it is mostly used for conditions such as dry cough due to lung dryness, dry throat and thirst, and insufficient body fluids. It is generally believed that North sand ginseng leans more toward nourishing yin, while South sand ginseng also has a phlegm-resolving effect; the specific choice is usually judged by a physician according to the individual's condition.

In everyday food therapy, sand ginseng is quite commonly used; a common method is to pair it with ingredients such as fragrant solomonseal rhizome, dwarf lilyturf tuber, lily, and snow pear to make soup or boil in water, and the finished product tastes light and moist, making it popular with families during the dry autumn and winter seasons. It should be noted that the amount used in food therapy is generally not large, and it mainly plays a supporting role in conditioning; it cannot be regarded as a means of treating disease.

There are also some points to note when consuming sand ginseng. Its nature is slightly cold, so people with weak and cold spleen and stomach, or who are prone to diarrhea, should not use much of it; in traditional Chinese medicine compatibility there is also the saying that sand ginseng should not be used together with Veratrum nigrum. Pregnant women, children, and chronic disease patients who are taking medication should best consult a professional physician before use. If obvious physical discomfort occurs, seek medical attention in time, and do not rely solely on medicinal and food materials such as sand ginseng to deal with it.