Mai Men Dong Tang  麦门冬汤
Ophiopogon Decoction

Tradition:


TCM

Source / Author:


Essential from the Golden Cabinet (C. 220 CE)

Herb Name

Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon)
Ren Shen (Ginseng) *
Geng Mi (Nonglutinous Rice)
Da Zao (Jujube)
Zhi Gan Cao (Licorice) fried
Ban Xia (Pinellia)

Latin


Ophiopogon japonicum
Panax ginseng
Oryza sativa
Zizyphus jujuba
Glycyrrhiza uralensis
Pinellia ternata

Amount


60 grams
6 grams
6 grams
3–5 pieces
6 grams
10 grams

* Ginseng was originally ordered. Today, practitioners often use American Ginseng (Xi Yang Shen) as it is stronger to nourish Yin.

Preparation:


Prepare a standard decoction

Function:


Nourishes Yin of the Lungs and Stomach

Use:


Thirst, dry mouth, dry and red tongue without coat, rapid and weak pulse
1. Chronic dry Cough with hard-to-clear sputum
2. Bronchitis
3. Whooping Cough
4. Wheezing, Asthma
5. Pneumonia
6. Chronic Phayngitis or Laryngitis
7. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
8. Esophageal or Lung Cancer
9. Sjogren’s syndrome
10. Esophageal Relfux
11. Vomiting with dry heaves
12. Gastritis, Atrophic Gastritis
13. Peptic Ulcer

Dose:


Divide the above decoction into 4 portions; 3 are taken during the day, and one at night.

Cautions:


1. Not used in Cold, Cold-Phlegm or Damp disorders
2. Not used for Exterior (acute) Cough with Fever (Colds and Flu)

Modifications:


1. If the Qi is not very weak, Codonopsis Dang Shen usually replaces Ginseng
2. Severe dryness, add Adenophora Sha Shen and Soloman’s Seal (Yu Zhu)
3. Severe Cough, add Fritillaria Chuan Bei Mu, Apricot kernel (Xing Ren)
4. Pneumonia, add Anemarrhea Zhi Mu, Coptis Huang Lian
5. Thirst and Irritability, add Gypsum (Shi Gao) and Anemarrhena Zhi Mu
6. Lung Cancer, add Apricot kernel (Xing Ren), Solanum nigrum (Long Kui), Arisaema Tian Nan Xing, Hedyotis Bai Hua She She Cao
7. Gastritis with Qi Stagnation, add Costus (Mu Xing), Citrus Chen Pi

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