Korean Pear and Doraji Tea for a Sore Throat: Does It Work? + Recipe
When a Korean family member starts coughing or sounds hoarse, someone usually reaches for the same drink: warm pear and doraji juice, called baedoraji-jeup (배도라지즙). Doraji (도라지) is the root of the bellflower plant. Mixed with sweet Korean pear and a little honey, it turns into a mild, golden drink that many Koreans grew up with.
So does it actually work? Short answer first: it can make a sore throat feel better, mostly because it is a warm, sweet, soothing liquid. It does not cure an infection, and human research on doraji itself is thin. Below you will find what the evidence really says, a simple home recipe, how to drink it, the safety points, and where to buy ready-made pouches in Korea.
This is Part 1 of our new series, Korean Folk Remedies, where we look at the home remedies Koreans swear by and check them against official and scientific sources.
Korean pears (bae, 배) are round, crisp and very juicy. They are the sweet half of pear-doraji tea. Photo: Korea Insight Now.
At a Glance
- Baedoraji-jeup is a traditional Korean drink made from pear and bellflower root, often with jujube, ginger and honey.
- It can soothe a scratchy throat, but it is a food, not a medicine, and it will not cure a cold or strep throat.
- Most doraji research is in cells and animals. The few human trials do not prove it relieves a sore throat.
- Making it at home takes about an hour: clean the roots, core the pear, simmer, strain.
- No honey for babies under 1, watch the sugar if you have diabetes, and see a doctor if things get worse or last over a week.
What Is Baedoraji-jeup?
The name is easy once you split it up. Bae (배) means pear, doraji (도라지) is bellflower root, and jeup (즙) means juice or extract. You will also see baedoraji-cha (배도라지차), which means pear-doraji tea. In practice they are the same idea: pear and doraji cooked down in water.
Doraji is the root of Platycodon grandiflorum, a plant with purple or white balloon-shaped flowers. In Korea the root is everyday food. People eat it as a seasoned side dish (doraji-namul, 도라지나물) and use it in teas. Fresh roots are pale, long and a bit bitter.
The same root also has a long history in traditional medicine. In Korean Medicine (hanuihak, 한의학), the dried root is called gilgyeong (길경, 桔梗), known as Jiegeng in Chinese. Korean Medicine references describe its traditional role as helping clear phlegm and "benefiting the throat" (iin, 이인). That is a description of traditional use, not proof that it works in the modern medical sense.
Pear has its own place in Korean food culture. Visit Korea describes baesuk (배숙), a royal court drink of pear studded with black peppercorns and simmered in honey water with ginger. Pear-doraji tea is the plainer home cousin of that idea.
The bellflower plant (Platycodon grandiflorus). Its root is doraji. Photo: Kjoonlee / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
Does It Really Work? The Honest Answer
Here is the conclusion up front. Pear-doraji tea is a reasonable comfort drink for a mild sore throat. It is not a treatment, and you should not expect it to shorten an illness.
Why it can feel good
Most of the comfort comes from simple things. A warm drink keeps your throat moist and helps you get enough fluid. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) lists drinking plenty of water and resting among the basic ways to look after a sore throat at home.
Honey also helps a little, at least for coughs. A Cochrane review (a large, careful summary of trials) found that honey probably eases cough frequency in children aged 1 and older better than no treatment or a placebo, a dummy treatment with no active ingredient. That review was about cough, not sore throat, and only covered children over 12 months.
What science says about doraji
Doraji contains saponins, natural plant compounds that foam in water and give the root its bitter taste. The best known is platycodin D, the main saponin in bellflower root.
Korea's Rural Development Administration (RDA, 농촌진흥청) analyzed Korean doraji in 2024. It found 37 types of saponins in the root, about 235 mg per 100 g of fresh root. After blanching in boiling water, about 201 mg remained, so cooking does not wipe them out.
Lab and animal studies suggest platycodin D has anti-inflammatory effects. A 2023 scientific review called these results promising but said that turning them into proven treatments for people "still has a long way to go."
Human evidence is where it gets thin:
- A pharmacology database run by Kyung Hee University's Korean Medicine research center (KMCRIC) lists 65 indexed studies on gilgyeong. 41 are animal studies, 24 are cell or test-tube studies, and none are human trials.
- Two small randomized trials in Japan (2019 and 2022, about 70 adults each) tested Kikyo-to, an herbal medicine made from platycodon root and licorice, for sore throat from a cold. Neither found it relieved pain better than a placebo within 10 or 30 minutes.
- A 2021 Korean trial gave 100 healthy adults a red platycodon root extract for 8 weeks and saw changes in some immune markers. It did not test sore throats, and an extract in tablet form is not the same as a homemade drink.
Put together: doraji is a safe, common food with interesting chemistry, but there is no good human proof that pear-doraji tea treats a sore throat.
What Korean law says about these products
This matters when you shop. Under Korean food labeling law, ordinary foods are not allowed to claim they prevent or treat a disease. In June 2026, Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, 식약처) said it caught 165 online food ads with claims like "cold prevention" or "immunity boosting," and asked for them to be blocked.
Most pear-doraji pouches are sold as general foods. A true health functional food (geongang gineung sikpum, 건강기능식품) in Korea carries the words "건강기능식품" or the official mark on the package. If a pouch promises to "cure" your throat or "boost immunity," treat that as advertising, not evidence.
| Claim you may hear | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| "It soothes a scratchy throat" | Plausible. Warm fluids and honey are standard comfort care. |
| "Doraji has active compounds" | True. Saponins such as platycodin D are well documented. |
| "It fights inflammation" | Seen in cells and animals. Not shown in people drinking the tea. |
| "It cures a cold or sore throat" | No evidence. Most sore throats get better on their own within about a week. |
How to Make Pear-Doraji Tea at Home
The amounts below are a typical home recipe, not an official formula. Korean families adjust them freely, so treat them as a starting point.
Ingredients (makes roughly 3 to 4 cups):
- 1 large Korean pear (bae, 배)
- About 100 g fresh doraji, roughly 3 to 5 medium roots
- 4 to 5 dried jujubes (daechu, 대추), optional, for natural sweetness
- 3 to 4 thin slices of fresh ginger (saenggang, 생강), optional
- About 1 liter of water
- Honey (kkul, 꿀) to taste, added at the end (skip for babies under 1)
Step 1: Clean and prepare the doraji
Fresh doraji comes with soil and lots of thin hair roots. Trim off the hair roots and the top, then scrub the roots well under running water. Many cooks peel the outer skin with a knife or peeler.
Fresh doraji roots get a good scrub to remove soil before peeling. Photo: Korea Insight Now.
Next, deal with the bitterness. The common Korean method, as described by the Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, is to rub the roots firmly with coarse salt, rinse them, then soak them in water for 1 to 2 hours. For a sweet drink, a shorter soak is fine if you like a little bitterness.
Soaking doraji in water takes the edge off its bitter taste. Photo: Korea Insight Now.
Buying pre-peeled doraji? Some processors use alum, an approved additive, to stop the peeled roots from browning. The same Seoul institute recommends washing pre-peeled doraji by rubbing it with salt (about 5% of its weight) for 2 minutes, then soaking it in a mild vinegar solution (0.2%, about 2 ml of vinegar per liter of water) for 2 hours. This lowered leftover aluminum in their tests.
Finally, slice the roots into thin rounds or short pieces so they release flavor faster.
Step 2: Prepare the pear and extras
Wash the pear, cut it into quarters and remove the core and seeds. You can leave the skin on. Cut it into chunks. If you use jujubes, rinse them and make a small cut in each one. Slice the ginger thinly.
Step 3: Simmer
Peeled doraji, pear chunks and jujubes in the pot, ready to simmer. Photo: Korea Insight Now.
- Put the doraji, pear, jujubes and ginger in a pot with about 1 liter of water.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low.
- Simmer with the lid slightly open for about 40 to 60 minutes, until the pear is very soft and the liquid turns light gold.
- Strain through a sieve, pressing the pear to squeeze out more juice.
- Let it cool slightly, then stir in honey to taste.
Other ways to make it:
- Steamed pear (bae-jjim, 배찜): Cut the top off a pear, scoop out the core, fill it with sliced doraji, jujube and a spoon of honey, put the top back on, and steam it in a bowl for about 30 to 40 minutes. Drink the juice that collects and eat the soft pear with a spoon.
- Slow cooker: Add the same ingredients with water and cook on low for several hours. This is handy for a bigger batch.
Storage
We could not find an official storage time for homemade pear-doraji tea, so follow general food safety rules. The US Department of Agriculture's food safety service says to refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours and use leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for longer. Store the tea in a clean, sealed jar, and pour single portions into ice-cube trays if you want to freeze it. If it smells sour or looks fizzy, throw it out.
How to Drink It
- Warm, not scalding. Very hot drinks can sting a sore throat. Let it cool until it is comfortable to sip.
- Small cups, sipped slowly. A small mug at a time, a few times a day, is how most families serve it. There is no official dose because it is a food.
- Not instead of water. Keep drinking plain water too. Pear-doraji tea contains sugar, while water does not.
- Cold is fine too. Some people like it chilled. Temperature is a matter of comfort.
- Ready-made pouches can be drunk straight, warmed in a cup of hot water (pouch sealed), or poured into a mug and heated. Follow the package directions.
Cautions Before You Drink
- Babies under 1 year: no honey. Korea's MFDS and the US CDC both warn that honey can cause infant botulism, a rare but serious food poisoning, in babies under 12 months. Cooking does not make it safe. The CDC also advises no fruit juice at all before 12 months, so this drink is not for babies.
- Sugar and diabetes. Pear juice and honey both count as "free sugars" in World Health Organization guidance, which recommends keeping free sugars under 10% of daily energy. If you have diabetes or watch your blood sugar, count pear-doraji tea like juice. On store pouches, check "당류" (dangnyu, sugars) on the nutrition panel.
- Allergies. Skip it if you are allergic to pear, honey, jujube, ginger or bellflower. Read the ingredient list on pouches, since some add other fruits or extracts.
- Medicines, pregnancy and chronic illness. We did not find reliable data on drug interactions for food amounts of doraji. If you take regular medication, are pregnant, or have a long-term condition, ask a pharmacist before drinking it daily.
- Do not let it delay care. Feeling a little better after a warm drink is not the same as getting better. Watch for the warning signs below.
When to See a Doctor
Most sore throats are caused by viruses and get better on their own within about a week, according to the NHS and the CDC. Get medical help if you notice any of these:
- Go to the emergency room or call 119 right away if you have trouble breathing, cannot swallow, are drooling because swallowing is hard, or make a high-pitched sound when breathing.
- See a doctor soon if you have a very high temperature or feel hot and shivery, signs of dehydration, blood in your saliva or phlegm, a rash, or joint pain and swelling.
- Book a visit if your sore throat does not improve after a week, keeps coming back, or you have a weak immune system.
- For children: a baby under 3 months with a fever of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher needs a doctor right away, per the CDC.
In Korea, 119 is the number for ambulances. The Korea Travel Hotline, 1330, can help with interpretation. For step-by-step help, read our guide Sick in Korea? How to Use Pharmacies, Clinics and the ER, and see how much it costs to get sick in Korea as a tourist.
Where to Buy Ready-Made Pouches in Korea
You do not have to cook it yourself. Pear-doraji drinks are easy to find in Korea, especially from autumn into winter. Look in these places:
- Supermarkets and big-box stores: Boxes of single-serving pouches are usually shelved with juices, teas or health drinks.
- Traditional markets (jeontong sijang, 전통시장): Good for fresh doraji and pears if you want to cook. Some markets also have small juice-extraction shops (geonganwon, 건강원) that make pouches to order.
- Online shopping sites: The widest choice, but you need a Korean address and usually a Korean payment method.
- Pharmacies: Some pharmacies stock pear-doraji drinks or sticks near the throat products. Our Korean pharmacy shopping guide explains how to shop there.
- Convenience stores and some cafes: Selection varies by store. Some cafes list pear-doraji tea on their winter menus.
How to read the label. Look for 원재료명 (wonjaeryo-myeong, ingredients) to see how much pear and doraji are actually inside, and 당류 (dangnyu) for sugar. Percentages on the front deserve a quick check against the back. In 2018 the MFDS caught a company selling a "doraji juice 80%" product that contained only 5% doraji.
Here is how the three common options compare:
| Homemade tea | Store pouch | Pear-doraji candy or jelly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effort | About 1 hour plus soaking | None, open and drink | None |
| Control over sugar | Full, you choose the honey | Check the label | Usually mostly sugar |
| Warm fluid for the throat | Yes | Yes, if heated | No, but sucking keeps the mouth moist |
| Shelf life | Fridge, 3 to 4 days | Long, check the date | Long |
| Good for travel | No | Yes | Yes |
| Children | From age 1 (honey) | Check the label | Not for young children (choking risk) |
On candy: the NHS notes that sucking hard sweets can ease a sore throat, but young children should not be given small hard items because of the choking risk.
How to Ask for It in Korea
- 배도라지즙 있어요? (Baedoraji-jeup isseoyo?) Do you have pear-doraji juice?
- 목이 아파요. (Mogi apayo.) My throat hurts.
- 꿀 안 들어간 거 있어요? (Kkul an deureogan geo isseoyo?) Do you have one without honey?
- 설탕 안 들어간 거 있어요? (Seoltang an deureogan geo isseoyo?) Do you have one with no added sugar?
- 아이가 먹어도 돼요? (Aiga meogeodo dwaeyo?) Is it okay for a child?
- 생도라지 어디 있어요? (Saeng-doraji eodi isseoyo?) Where can I find fresh doraji?
Illustration by Korea Insight Now (fictional characters).
Quick Checklist
- Is the sore throat mild, with no trouble breathing or swallowing?
- Doraji trimmed, scrubbed, salted and soaked?
- Pear cored and cut into chunks?
- Simmered on low for 40 to 60 minutes, then strained?
- Honey added only for anyone aged 1 or older?
- Sugar counted if you have diabetes?
- Leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours and used within 3 to 4 days?
- Still sick after a week, or getting worse? Time to see a doctor.
Q
Q. Is pear-doraji tea safe for kids?
For children aged 1 and older, it is a normal Korean food. Do not give it to babies under 12 months, because of the honey and because the CDC advises no juice before age 1. Serve it warm, not hot.
Q. Can I drink it every day?
As a food, a small cup a day is common in Korea. Count it toward your sugar intake, and keep drinking water. If you have a chronic condition or take medicine, ask a pharmacist first.
Q. Does it help a cough too?
Koreans drink it for both. Honey has decent evidence for easing cough in children over 1. Doraji itself has no proven effect on cough in people yet.
Q. Can I use dried doraji instead of fresh?
Yes. Dried doraji is sold in markets and online. Rinse it, soak it until soft, and use a smaller amount than fresh, since dried roots are more concentrated and more bitter.
Q. Is it the same as Korean pear juice?
No. Plain pear juice has no doraji, so it tastes sweeter and has none of the root's bitter, earthy notes. Pear-doraji drinks list both on the ingredients.
Q. Is pear in season in autumn?
Yes, Korean pears are a classic autumn fruit. If you are visiting in fall, our list of 10 Korean foods to eat in autumn has more seasonal ideas.
Q. What comes next in the series?
Part 2 of Korean Folk Remedies will look at another home remedy Koreans reach for when they feel run down, with the same honest check against the evidence.
Sources
- NHS (UK) - Sore throat: nhs.uk
- CDC - Sore Throat Basics: cdc.gov
- CDC - Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit (infants and toddlers): cdc.gov
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety via Korea.kr - Why babies under 1 should not eat honey (Korean): korea.kr
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety via Korea.kr - How to tell health functional foods apart (Korean, 2023): korea.kr
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety via Korea.kr - 165 misleading online food ads caught (Korean, June 2026): korea.kr
- Kyunghyang Shinmun - MFDS catches "doraji juice 80%" product with 5% doraji (Korean, July 2018): khan.co.kr
- Rural Development Administration - Saponins in Korean doraji root and sprouts (Korean, June 2024): rda.go.kr
- Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment - Washing pre-peeled doraji (Korean): sihe.seoul.go.kr
- KMCRIC (Kyung Hee University) - Gilgyeong herb database (Korean): kmcric.com
- Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Herbal resources dictionary - Gilgyeong (Korean): herba.kr
- Zhang L, et al. Platycodon grandiflorus: an ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological review. J Ethnopharmacol, 2015: PubMed
- The pharmacology and mechanisms of platycodin D. Front Pharmacol, 2023: PMC
- Ishimaru N, et al. Kikyo-to vs. placebo on sore throat. Intern Med, 2019: PubMed
- Ishimaru N, et al. Kikyo-to for URTI-associated sore throat pain, multicenter RCT. J Integr Complement Med, 2022: PubMed
- Park EJ, et al. Red Platycodon grandiflorus root extract and immune function, 8-week RCT. Phytomedicine, 2021: PubMed
- Oduwole O, et al. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018: PubMed
- World Health Organization - Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children: who.int
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service - Leftovers and Food Safety: fsis.usda.gov
- Visit Korea - Pear Punch (Baesuk): english.visitkorea.or.kr
- Visit Korea - Emergency Situations: english.visitkorea.or.kr
This article is general information about a traditional food, not medical advice. If you are unwell, talk to a pharmacist or doctor. Draft prepared for Korea Insight Now on 2026-10-10 (Asia/Seoul).