Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon Tuber)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Mai Men Dong?

  Roughly 6–15 g in decoction — the part used is the dried tuberous root. Traditionally, the thin central pith/core running through each tuber is removed before use (“pitted” Mai Men Dong), since the core is considered to carry a warming quality that can work against the herb’s cooling, irritability-calming purpose; it is usually crushed or broken before decocting.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references, cross-referenced against multiple online sources (standard materia medica ranges and preparation notes). Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Mai Men Dong?

  Mai Men Dong is cooling and moistening, so it is traditionally avoided in diarrhea from Cold and Middle-Jiao (Spleen/Stomach) deficiency, and in cough due to Wind-Cold or Damp-Phlegm — its moist, cold nature can aggravate dampness, weaken already-cold digestion, or bind up phlegm that needs to be dried and transformed rather than moistened.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references, cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica cautions).

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low for the raw decocted herb. No significant toxicity is reported for Mai Men Dong taken as a traditional decoction. Separately, a Chinese pharmacovigilance review of Shenmai injection — the intravenous hospital preparation made from Ren Shen, Mai Men Dong, and Wu Wei Zi, not the herb taken by mouth — found allergic-type adverse reactions (including anaphylactic shock, systemic allergic response, and skin rash) in a minority of over 28,000 reviewed patients, most linked to improper clinical use (incorrect drug combinations, excessive dosing, or patient age factors) rather than the herb itself.

  Source: PMID 20329602 (systematic review of Shenmai injection adverse reactions). Route-specific (injectable) finding, provided as a neutral reference disclosure — not applicable to the traditional oral decoction.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established herb–drug interactions are documented for orally taken Mai Men Dong. The IV Shenmai injection preparation (see toxicity note) is a hospital pharmaceutical product with its own reported interaction and adverse-reaction profile in the Chinese clinical literature; this is separate from the traditional decocted herb and is noted here only for completeness. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation.)

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon japonicus)?

  Yes — a substantial body of preclinical (laboratory and animal) research plus formula-level clinical trials, though single-herb human trials are limited. Reviews of Ophiopogon japonicus describe its main constituents as steroidal saponins, homoisoflavonoids, and polysaccharides, with reported cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antitussive (cough-relieving), antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activity in laboratory and animal models.

  • Anticancer mechanisms (review) — a 2023 review in Phytomedicine summarizes laboratory evidence for anticancer activity of Ophiopogon japonicus compounds and their proposed mechanisms; cell/animal evidence, not a clinical treatment claim.
  • Polysaccharides — reviews of Ophiopogon polysaccharides (rich in beta-fructans) report antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-obesity, and cardiovascular-protective effects, alongside gut-microbiota-modulating activity, in laboratory and animal studies.
  • Formula-level clinical evidence (Sheng Mai San / Shengmai) — a 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of 44 randomized controlled trials (4,298 participants) found that Sheng Mai San, alone or combined with conventional treatment, was associated with improved symptom recovery and cardiac markers in viral myocarditis versus conventional treatment alone, with no serious adverse events reported; the authors note that overall evidence quality remains limited and call for larger, higher-quality trials. This evidence concerns the multi-herb formula, not Mai Men Dong in isolation.

  Overall, laboratory and animal research is extensive; rigorous single-herb human clinical trials for Mai Men Dong specifically remain scarce.

  Sources: PMID 26826325 (phytochemical/ethnomedicinal/pharmacological review, J Ethnopharmacol 2016); PMID 36854203 (anticancer review, Phytomedicine 2023); PMID 29634971 (polysaccharide review, Int J Biol Macromol 2018); PMID 39742019 (Sheng Mai San meta-analysis for viral myocarditis, Cardiovasc Ther 2024). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Mai Men Dong different from Sha Shen and Tian Men Dong, and what does it combine with?

  Mai Men Dong sits between the gentler Sha Shen and the colder, more cloying Tian Men Dong — and it is the only one of the three that also enters the Heart. All three moisten Lung dryness, but their strength, range, and digestive impact differ.

  • Sha Shen (Bei Sha Shen / Nan Sha Shen) — milder and gentler; suited to earlier-stage or lighter Lung/Stomach-yin dryness.
  • Mai Men Dong — stronger moistening action on Lung and Stomach yin, and additionally clears Heart heat/calms irritability; gentler on digestion than Tian Men Dong.
  • Tian Men Dong (Asparagus Root) — colder and more strongly moistening; nourishes both Lung and Kidney yin and descends deficiency fire, but is more cloying and more likely to burden a weak Spleen/Stomach.

  Key formulas: Mai Men Dong is one of three herbs (with Ren Shen and Wu Wei Zi) in Sheng Mai San, a classic Qi-and-Yin tonic for summerheat or post-febrile Qi-Yin deficiency with sweating, shortness of breath, dry mouth, and a thin, weak pulse. It is the chief herb in Mai Men Dong Tang (with Ban Xia, Ren Shen, Zhi Gan Cao, rice, and jujube) for Lung-yin deficiency with rebellious Qi — dry cough, wheezing, or a sensation of qi surging upward. Mai Men Dong and Tian Men Dong are also traditionally paired together (“Er Dong”) to reinforce Lung/Kidney-yin nourishment. (Traditional formula context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (differentiation & combinations); Sacred Lotus formula records for Sheng Mai San and Mai Men Dong Tang.