Mai Dong
StarOphiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker-Gawl.
☯ TCM Properties
Nourishes Yin and Generates Fluids; Moistens the Lungs and Stops Cough; Clears Heart Fire and Eliminates Irritability; Benefits the Stomach and Generates Fluids; Moistens the Intestines and Unblocks the Bowels
Traditional Chinese Uses
Mai Dong (ophiopogon tuber, dwarf lilyturf tuber) is a cool herb that nourishes Yin, moistens dryness, and clears mild heat from the Heart and Lung. It is used for Lung Yin deficiency with dry cough and scanty phlegm, Stomach Yin deficiency with dry mouth and thirst, and Heart Yin deficiency with palpitations and restless sleep. As one of the key Yin-nourishing herbs, it appears in a wide range of formulas for addressing fluid depletion and dryness throughout the body.
Western Herbalism Properties
Used In Formulas (1)
Botanical Description
Ophiopogon japonicus is a tufted, evergreen herbaceous perennial in the Asparagaceae, native to East Asia including China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, where it grows in moist, shaded forest understories, on shaded slopes and along stream banks. Plants form dense, grass-like clumps 15-30 cm tall, spreading slowly by short, stoloniferous rhizomes that produce numerous slender white roots, some of which swell at intervals into small fusiform tubers. The dark green, narrowly linear, leathery basal leaves are 10-50 cm long and 2-5 mm wide, arching gracefully from the base. In summer the species sends up short, slightly flattened scapes bearing loose racemes of small, nodding, bell-shaped flowers with six pale lilac to whitish tepals about 5 mm long. The fruits are berry-like, pea-sized, bright cobalt-blue structures with a glossy surface. It is widely cultivated as a low evergreen groundcover and ornamental edging plant.
Active Constituents
Ophiopogonin D (and ophiopogonins A-D)
Steroidal saponin (spirostanol/furostanol glycosides)Concentration: Major characteristic saponins of the tuber
Key steroidal saponins responsible for cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Ophiopogonin D improves cardiac function and protects against oxidative and hypoxic myocardial injury.
DT-13 (ophiopogonin D')
Steroidal saponinConcentration: Minor bioactive saponin
A saponin with documented anti-inflammatory, anti-metastatic and vascular-protective activity in preclinical studies.
Methylophiopogonanone A and B
HomoisoflavonoidsConcentration: Characteristic homoisoflavonoids
Homoisoflavonoids that down-regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8) and provide antioxidant and cardioprotective activity; used as quality-control markers for Maidong.
Ruscogenin
Steroidal sapogenin (aglycone)Concentration: Aglycone of ophiopogonins
Anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic sapogenin that inhibits leukocyte adhesion and improves microcirculation.
Ophiopogon polysaccharides (e.g. MDG-1)
Polysaccharides (fructan-type)Concentration: Abundant water-soluble fraction
Fructan polysaccharides with hypoglycemic, immunomodulatory and cardioprotective activity, contributing to the fluid-generating and Yin-nourishing traditional actions.
Beta-sitosterol and monoterpene glycosides
Phytosterols / monoterpene glycosidesConcentration: Minor constituents
Additional constituents contributing to anti-inflammatory and mild lipid-modulating effects.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Antidiabetic agents (insulin, sulfonylureas, metformin)
Ophiopogon polysaccharides (MDG-1) and saponins lower blood glucose in preclinical models. Concurrent use with glucose-lowering drugs could theoretically potentiate hypoglycemia.
Clinical note: Monitor blood glucose when combining with antidiabetic therapy; clinical evidence in humans is limited.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9-30g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Decoction
Parts: Tuberous root (radix / dried tuber)
The dried tuberous root is decocted, usually 6-12 g, to nourish Yin, generate fluids, moisten the Lung and clear Heart heat. The central pith is sometimes removed in classical preparation.
Honey-fried (mi zhi) preparation
Parts: Tuberous root
Stir-frying with honey enhances the moistening, Lung-nourishing action and is preferred for dry cough and Lung Yin deficiency.
Clinical Studies
Effectiveness and Safety of Shengmai San for Viral Myocarditis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Meta-analysis of randomized trials of Shengmai San (whose principal ingredients include Ophiopogon japonicus/Maidong, ginseng and Schisandra) for viral myocarditis. Adding Shengmai San to conventional therapy improved clinical efficacy and cardiac markers with a favourable safety profile. The herb is evaluated within its classic compound formula rather than as a single agent.
Shengmai (a traditional Chinese herbal medicine) for heart failure
Systematic review of randomized trials of Shengmai (containing Ophiopogon japonicus) added to conventional treatment for heart failure. Short-term benefits were reported for myocardial contractility and cardiac haemodynamics, though the authors cautioned that trial quality was low. Ophiopogon is assessed as a formula component.
Historical Texts
Shennong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica)
Han dynasty, compiled c. 200 BCE - 200 CEYi Xue Qi Yuan (Origins of Medicine), Zhang Yuansu — source of Sheng Mai San
Jin dynasty, c. 1186 CEBen Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty, 1596 CEReferences
- Chen MH, Chen XJ, Wang M, Lin LG, Wang YT. Ophiopogon japonicus - A phytochemical, ethnomedicinal and pharmacological review . Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 181, pp. 193-213 (2016) [DOI]
- Zhang et al.. Effectiveness and Safety of Shengmai San for Viral Myocarditis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials . Cardiovascular Therapeutics, 2024:2127018 (2024) [DOI]
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission. Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (Radix Ophiopogonis, Mai Dong) . China Medical Science Press (2020) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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