Lung and Stomach Yin
Its classic picture: dry, a bit hot and a bit tickly, all the way from the throat down to the chest.
Traditional Chinese herbal formula
Mai Men Dong Tang
麦门冬汤 · Ophiopogon Decoction · also known as
A moistening formula from the Han dynasty, for when the Lung and Stomach are said to have dried out. Herbalists picture it as rain on parched ground. Think scratchy, dry, a bit hoarse and tickly in the throat, the kind of feeling you get after weeks of central heating.
Six herbs led by a big dose of ophiopogon root, with rice, pinellia, jujube, ginseng and liquorice. Made into 5:1 tablets. Six a day, a bottle lasts ten days. Explore the formula
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- 5:1 strength
- DaoDi herbs
- Vegan & gluten-free
- GMP certified
- Free UK delivery £40+
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"I bought this to help with chronic Yin deficiency symptoms, including persistent urinary tract irritation, dragging fatigue, and poor sleep. Since starting these tablets, I’ve felt a noticeable improvement—my kidney energy feels…"
A short history of Mai Men Dong Tang
You'll find this one in the Jin Gui Yao Lue (the 'Essentials from the Golden Cabinet'), which Zhang Zhongjing put together around 200 AD to sit alongside his better-known Shang Han Lun. The Shang Han Lun mostly deals with illness blowing in from outside, you see, whereas the Golden Cabinet gets stuck into the long-running problems that start on the inside.
Zhang's write-up is short and rather vivid: Qi rushing upwards, a throat that won't behave, and a note to 'stop the counterflow and bring the Qi down'. He used far more ophiopogon than anything else in the recipe. And then, a bit unexpectedly, a measure of plain rice.
Later doctors saw it as the model for a clever little trick they called 'nourishing Earth to feed Metal'. Rather than fussing over the Lung alone, you look after the Stomach, which is meant to send moisture up to it. Japan knows it as Bakumondoto, and it's still used a lot there.
In Chinese medicine
How herbalists understand it
The Lung's nickname in Chinese medicine is the 'delicate organ', which tells you most of what you need to know, because it's fussy and wants to stay moist. Once its fluids (its Yin, if we're being proper about it) run low, you'll hear herbalists say Lung Yin deficiency, and you get that dry, hot, slightly scratchy feeling from the chest upwards, a bit like an office with the radiators stuck on full all winter.
So why's the Stomach dragged into this? Well, in this system it makes fluids and sends them up to the Lung, so a dry Stomach leaves the Lung thirsty. You'd get a dry mouth, a thirst that's never quite quenched, and Qi that wants to push upwards rather than settle, which is what Zhang meant by 'counterflow'.
Ophiopogon, a little pale, fat, slightly sticky root, moistens both organs, and there's loads of it. Pinellia's job is bringing the Qi back down, and although it's quite drying on its own, it's thoroughly outnumbered here. Then ginseng, rice, jujube and liquorice keep the Stomach going so the moisture keeps coming.
The Five Elements
A Metal element formula
The Lung belongs to Metal. Funnily enough, this formula gets to it by way of Earth, the Stomach, because in the Five Elements Earth is Metal's 'mother', the one that feeds it.
Autumn
Season
Metal's season, and the driest stretch of the year over much of China. Couldn't be more fitting.
Lung
Organ
The 'delicate organ', which supposedly hates being too dry or too hot.
White
Colour
Metal's colour, and near enough the colour of a bowl of plain rice too.
Pungent
Taste
Metal's taste. There's a little of it here, from the ginger-prepared pinellia.
Grief
Emotion
Metal's emotion. A long sadness, herbalists say, can slowly dry out the Lung.
Traditional use
How it has traditionally been used
These are the ways herbalists have traditionally used Mai Men Dong Tang. Read them as tradition, please, and not as medical claims.
Qi going the wrong way
Picked when Qi's said to be rushing upwards rather than settling, Zhang's old 'counterflow'.
Dry seasons and dry rooms
A favourite come autumn, and for those winters you spend parked by the radiator.
Talkers and singers
Herbalists have long had teachers, singers and anyone who talks all day in mind for this one.
This section describes traditional use in Chinese herbal practice. Mai Men Dong Tang is a food supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Inside the formula · Ingredients
Six herbs, one big root
Ophiopogon dominates here, as it did in Zhang's original. The rest protect the Stomach and steer the Qi. Amounts are per daily serving of 6 tablets.
Chief
Ophiopogon Root (Mai Dong)
Ophiopogon japonicus1212mg
Ophiopogon japonicus1212mg
Ophiopogon root's the backbone, moistening the Lung and the Stomach and cooling a bit of heat while it's at it. Herb Glossary
Minister
Pinellia Rhizome (ginger-prepared) (Jiang Ban Xia)
Pinellia ternata606mg
Pinellia ternata606mg
Then ginger-prepared pinellia, which sends rebellious Qi back down. It's dry by nature, hence all that moisture around it. Herb Glossary
Assistants
Ginseng Root (Ren Shen)
Panax ginseng235mg
Panax ginseng235mg
Rice (Japonica) (Jing Mi)
Oryza sativa707mg
Oryza sativa707mg
Jujube Date (Da Zao)
Ziziphus jujuba371mg
Ziziphus jujuba371mg
We think of ginseng, rice and jujube as the supply team. They build up Stomach Qi so the Stomach can keep the Lung topped up with fluids, like someone keeping the kettle filled. Herb Glossary
Envoy
Liquorice Root (Gan Cao)
Glycyrrhiza glabra235mg
Glycyrrhiza glabra235mg
Liquorice adds a touch more moisture and that familiar sweetness, and it harmonises the rest, as liquorice nearly always does. Herb Glossary
Inactive ingredients: Cassava starch, Hypromellose, Magnesium stearate, Polyethylene glycol, Talc.
These are used in very small amounts to form and coat the tablets. They don't add to the formula itself.
How to take
A simple daily ritual
3In the morning
Tablets with water.
3In the evening
Tablets with water.
WeeksSteady use
Most people take a formula for several weeks.
Always follow the label. If you take any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, please speak to your GP or pharmacist before use.
Choosing between them
Mai Men Dong Tang or Sheng Mai San?
| Compare | Mai Men Dong Tang | Sheng Mai San |
|---|---|---|
| First recorded | Han dynasty, around 200 AD | Jin to Yuan era, 1100s to 1200s |
| The idea | Moisten the Lung and Stomach and settle rising Qi | Top up Qi and fluids and hold them in |
| Herbs | 6, led by ophiopogon | 3: ginseng, ophiopogon and schisandra |
| Character | Moistening, aimed at Lung and Stomach | Restoring, aimed at Heart and Lung |
| Often chosen when | Dryness and a tickly upward push dominate | Tiredness and sweating out fluids dominate |
What is Mai Men Dong Tang traditionally used for?
Herbalists reach for it in what they call Lung and Stomach Yin deficiency, that dry, scratchy, slightly hot picture with Qi pushing upwards. It's a food supplement, mind you, not a medicine.
Why is there rice in it?
Zhang Zhongjing put plain rice in to look after the Stomach, which in Chinese medicine keeps the Lung supplied with moisture. We've kept it in ours. Honestly, it's one of our favourite little details in the classics.
Mai Men Dong Tang or Sheng Mai San?
Both have ophiopogon and ginseng in them. Mai Men Dong Tang leans more towards moistening and settling, though, while Sheng Mai San brings in schisandra and is more about tiredness and holding fluids in. Not sure which suits you? That's exactly the sort of question a qualified herbalist enjoys.
How many do I take?
Three in the morning, three in the evening, that's it. At six a day a bottle of 60 lasts ten days, if you're doing the maths.
Are there any safety points?
If you're pregnant, breastfeeding or on any medication, have a word with your GP before you start, please. A few specifics we'd flag: pinellia's an old 'use with care in pregnancy' herb, ginseng can interact with some medicines (warfarin and blood sugar medicines among them), and liquorice is known for nudging blood pressure up. And anything in your chest that's new, or that's hanging around, should go to your doctor, full stop.
Is the pinellia safe?
Nobody uses raw pinellia in remedies. Ours is the ginger-prepared form, Jiang Ban Xia, which is the traditional way of making it suitable.
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Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Keep out of reach of children.