Mao Dong Qing
StarIlex pubescens Hook. et Arn.
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity; Invigorates Blood and Unblocks the Channels and Collaterals; Cools the Blood; Invigorates Blood and Alleviates Pain; Resolves Phlegm and Stops Cough
Traditional Chinese Uses
Mao Dong Qing (pubescent holly root) is a bitter, cold herb used in Chinese medicine primarily to invigorate Blood and clear Heat toxin. Its primary modern clinical application is in cardiovascular conditions — chest pain, angina, and Blood vessel obstruction from Heat and Blood stasis — as well as for acute respiratory and throat infections from Heat toxin. Its secondary wound-healing applications treat burns, skin infections, and inflammatory sores. Its combined Heat-clearing and Blood-activating properties make it broadly applicable in inflammatory conditions with circulatory involvement.
Botanical Description
Ilex pubescens is a small evergreen shrub of the Aquifoliaceae family growing 1 to 3 m tall, with slender greyish-brown branches that are densely covered when young in fine yellowish-grey pubescence, gradually becoming glabrous with age. Leaves are alternate, papery to thinly leathery, ovate-elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 2 to 6 cm long, with finely serrate to crenate margins and a short pubescent petiole; both surfaces, especially the lower, are pubescent along the veins. The plant is dioecious; small four-merous flowers with pale purplish-pink petals are borne in axillary fascicles in spring. The fruit is a small globose drupe 3 to 4 mm in diameter, ripening bright red, containing four pyrenes. It grows in scrub and forest margins in southern China, Taiwan, and northern Indochina.
Active Constituents
Ilexsaponin A1
Oleanane triterpenoid saponinConcentration: Major saponin of the root; a principal bioactive marker
A leading cardioactive saponin of the root; attenuates myocardial ischaemia–reperfusion injury through anti-apoptotic pathways and is central to the herb's cardiovascular and antithrombotic actions.
Ilexsaponin B1 / B2
Triterpenoid saponinsConcentration: Major root saponins
Members of the total triterpenoid-saponin fraction associated with vasodilation, inhibition of platelet aggregation and improved microcirculation.
Ilexgenin A
Triterpenoid (saponin aglycone)Concentration: Characteristic root triterpene
Triterpene aglycone with reported anti-inflammatory and metabolic activity, part of the root's bioactive triterpene pool.
Rotundic acid
Ursane/oleanane triterpenoid acidConcentration: Documented root triterpenoid
Triterpene acid with anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular-protective activity contributing to the herb's blood-activating profile.
Rotungenic acid
Triterpenoid acidConcentration: Minor root triterpenoid
Co-occurring triterpene acid within the root's terpenoid fraction.
Ziyu-glycoside I
Triterpenoid saponinConcentration: Known root saponin
Triterpene glycoside among the identified saponins of the root; part of the total-saponin fraction linked to antithrombotic and anti-ischaemic effects.
Ilexpubesnin A / B (ilexpublesnin)
Triterpene glycosidesConcentration: Newer characteristic root saponins
Triterpene glycosides isolated from I. pubescens roots, extending the saponin diversity responsible for its vascular activity.
Caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids
Phenolic acids and flavonoidsConcentration: Phenolic fraction of the root
Phenolic constituents (e.g., caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoid glycosides) contributing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel, heparin)
Total triterpenoid saponins of I. pubescens inhibit platelet aggregation, prevent thrombosis and improve microcirculation; combined with antithrombotic drugs this may additively increase bleeding risk.
Clinical note: Monitor for bleeding/bruising and coagulation parameters when combined with anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents, especially given the injectable forms used clinically.
Antihypertensive drugs
The herb dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure in pharmacological studies, so additive hypotensive effects with antihypertensive medication are plausible.
Clinical note: Monitor blood pressure when used alongside antihypertensive therapy.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Water decoction (root)
Parts: Dried root (and stem)
Commonly 10–30 g of the dried root decocted in water (larger clinical doses up to 60–90 g have been used under supervision) to clear heat, resolve toxicity, invigorate blood and unblock the channels, e.g., for thromboangiitis obliterans and coronary blood-stasis patterns.
Injectable / concentrated extract (clinical preparation)
Parts: Root (total triterpenoid saponin extract)
Standardized Mao-Dong-Qing extracts and injections prepared from the total triterpenoid saponins are used in Chinese hospital practice for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular circulation; these are pharmaceutical products administered under medical supervision rather than home preparations.
Clinical Studies
Ilexsaponin A attenuates ischemia-reperfusion-induced myocardial injury through anti-apoptotic pathway
Ilexsaponin A, a principal saponin of I. pubescens, reduced myocardial infarct size and lowered serum LDH, AST and CK-MB in a rat ischaemia–reperfusion model, acting through inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis—providing a mechanistic basis for the herb's traditional cardiovascular use.
Historical Texts
Guangxi Zhong Cao Yao (广西中草药, Guangxi Chinese Herbal Medicine) and Zhong Yao Zhi (中药志)
Modern (mid-20th century onward)References
- Jiang S, Cui H, Wu P, Liu Z, Zhao Z. Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Ilex pubescens Hook et Arn . Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 245:112147 (2019) [DOI]
- Zhang SW, Liu Y, Wang F, Qiang J, Liu P, Zhang J, Xu JW. Ilexsaponin A attenuates ischemia-reperfusion-induced myocardial injury through anti-apoptotic pathway . PLOS ONE (2017) [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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