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Knowledge baseHerbs

Tian Men Dong天门冬

Radix AsparagiAsparagus Tuber

Also known asShiny Asparagus Tuber

Category
Herbs that tonify Yin
Nature
very cold
Taste
sweet, bitter
Channels entered
Kidney, Lung
Secondary channels
Stomach
Dosage
5–15 g

Usual doses

Dosage
5–15 g
Tincture
2–5 ml

Actions & indications

Nourishes Kidney Yin, clears Lung Heat and sedates Fire
  • Lung Yin Deficiency with Heat signs in the upper Jiao such as Dryness of the mouth,
  • Dryness of the Lung with dry mouth and a dry, non-productive cough or a productive cough with scanty, viscous, Blood-streaked sputum
  • Kidney Yin Deficiency
  • Jing Deficiency due to Kidney Yin Deficiency with leg atrophy
Moistens the Lungs, nourishes the Kidneys, generates Fluids and resolves Phlegm
  • Lung and Kidney Yin Deficiency, especially wasting and thirsting disorder(upper, middle and lower)and consumption with low-grade afternoon fever
  • Constipation due to dry Intestines

Contraindications

  • Contraindicated in diarrhea and poor appetite from Spleen Deficiency Cold.
  • Contraindicated in cough caused by Wind-Cold.

Combinations

Notes

  • It is frequently made into a syrup together with Tub. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong.
  • Combined with other Yin tonics, it treats feverishness in the upper body.
  • Used by itself, it suits a mild dry cough.
  • Some sources attribute diuretic properties to it.
  • Some sources say taking it together with meat increases milk production in nursing mothers.
  • One source credits it with breaking up Blood Stagnation.
  • Research has shown it inhibits cancer-cell growth.
  • One source states it cures pyogenic Lung cancer.
  • It is said to resolve pyogenic sores, abdominal masses, and carbuncles.
  • For swelling and carbuncles: wash and grind 30–150g of Tian Men Dong, strain through wine, and take orally.
  • For chronic stomatitis: combine equal parts Tian Men Dong, Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong, and Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen into honey-coated pills, sucking on one pill daily.
  • It is said to eliminate foul body odor.
  • Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen, Tub. Ophiopogonis Japonici Mai Men Dong, and Tub. Asparagi Tian Men Dong all clear Heat and moisten the Lungs, but each fits a different cause: Tian Hua Fen suits Lung Heat from Stomach Heat, Mai Men Dong suits Lung Heat from Heart Fire, and Tian Men Dong suits Lung Dryness from Kidney Yin Deficiency.
  • Tian Men Dong and Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong both nourish Lung Yin, moisten Dryness, and stop coughing, and are often combined for dry cough with blood-tinged sputum, thirst from injured Yin, and constipation from Intestinal Dryness. Mai Men Dong, slightly cold and a milder Yin-nourisher, is less greasy and cloying than Tian Men Dong and can relieve irritability, which Tian Men Dong cannot. Tian Men Dong, very cold, clears Heat and moistens Dryness more powerfully and also enriches Kidney Yin, which Mai Men Dong cannot do.
  • Fresh Asparagus Tuber Xian Tian Dong is colder, richer, and more moistening, strongly nourishing Yin and fluids, and is used for insatiable thirst that responds to nothing else.
  • Succus Asparagi, Raw Asparagus Juice Sheng Tian Men Dong Zhi, is very cold, sweet, and pleasant-tasting, with a strong ability to nourish Yin and generate fluids; it also cools the Blood and stops bleeding, particularly bleeding related to Lung or Stomach Heat, and suits those who cannot eat and are vomiting Blood from Stomach Heat.
  • Dry-fried Asparagus Tuber Chao Tian Dong is less greasy and cloying, and aids digestion.
  • Honey-prepared Asparagus Tuber Mi Zhi Tian Dong is more effective at moistening the Lungs and stopping cough from Lung Yin Deficiency.
  • Cinnabar Asparagus Tuber Zhu Tian Dong has a Spirit-calming action best suited to insomnia, irritability, or emotional disturbance associated with Lung and Kidney Yin Deficiency.

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