Xian Mao (Golden Eye Grass Rhizome)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Xian Mao?

  3–9 g in decoction (owner’s notes: 1–3 qian). It is also taken as a powder, made into pills, or steeped in wine. Because Xian Mao is warm, drying, and slightly toxic, use a small dose and a short course — it is traditionally not taken long-term.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes; standard materia medica ranges. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions or contraindications for Xian Mao?

  Contraindicated in yin deficiency with heat or rising fire (yang kang). Because Xian Mao is spicy, hot, drying, and slightly toxic, it readily injures yin and fluids; use a small dose for a short period only and avoid prolonged use. It is not appropriate where there are heat signs without an underlying cold, yang-deficient pattern.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (contraindication: Yin Xu, Yang Kang); Sacred Lotus sources & references (Spicy, Hot, Toxic). See the toxicity note below.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Slightly toxic — classified as toxic in the Chinese materia medica, and warm and drying by nature. In toxicological testing, Curculigo orchioides given to rats at a very high dose (120 g/kg) for 180 days caused injury to the liver and kidney. This is far above therapeutic use, but it underscores the traditional rule: use small doses, keep courses short, and avoid prolonged use.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (Toxic); phytochemistry/pharmacology/toxicology review, PubMed 23562803 (long-term high-dose hepatic and renal injury in rats). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

• This herb is considered toxic.
  (while some Chinese herbs are toxic, it must be noted that many come prepared, or are combined, to mitigate their toxicity)

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented. Given that Xian Mao is slightly toxic and warm-drying, and that very high long-term doses injured the liver and kidney in animals (see toxicity), caution alongside hepatotoxic or nephrotoxic medications is reasonable. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation — absence of documented interactions is not proof of safety.)

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 Xian Mao (Curculigo orchioides)?

  Yes, but it is largely preclinical. The characteristic constituent is curculigoside (a phenolic glycoside used as the herb’s quality marker), alongside saponins, phenolic glycosides, and mucilage. Laboratory and animal studies report aphrodisiac, adaptogenic, immunostimulant, and antioxidant activity. Notably, curculigoside promoted osteogenic (bone-forming) differentiation and reduced bone loss in an ovariectomized mouse model — a laboratory correlate of the traditional use for strengthening the sinews and bones. Human clinical evidence remains limited.

  Sources: PubMed 23562803 (genus Curculigo review — curculigoside marker, pharmacology); PubMed 20619136 (adaptogen/aphrodisiac, immunostimulant, antioxidant); PubMed 33902663 / PMC 8074499 (curculigoside, osteogenic differentiation, ovariectomized mouse model). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Xian Mao combined and how does it compare to other Kidney-yang tonics?

  Xian Mao is best known paired with Yin Yang Huo in Er Xian Tang (Two Immortals Decoction). In that formula — with Ba Ji Tian, Huang Bai, Zhi Mu, and Dang Gui — it is used for combined Kidney yin-and-yang deficiency, classically applied to menopausal presentations with hot flashes and hypertension, warming yang while other ingredients temper heat.

  How it differs from its close neighbors:

  • vs Ba Ji Tian — Ba Ji Tian is the mildest of the three and the least drying; it also augments essence.
  • vs Yin Yang Huo — Yin Yang Huo is drying and readily injures yin; favored for painful obstruction with waning fire at the gate of vitality.
  • Xian Mao itself — the strongest and harshest of the three; all fortify Kidney yang, strengthen the sinews, and expel wind-damp, but Xian Mao should not be taken long term.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (Er Xian Tang composition and the Ba Ji Tian / Yin Yang Huo / Xian Mao differentiation set).

This herb is considered toxic