Dwarf Lilyturf
麦冬 · Mài Mén Dōng
Hydrates dry coughs and a parched system
What it does
Dwarf lilyturf eases the dry hacking cough, parched throat, and irritable thirst that come with depleted body fluids. In TCM, it nourishes lung and stomach yin and quiets a restless heart. It's a key herb in Sheng Mai San, the foundational formula for restoring fluids after illness, sweating, or summer heat. Polysaccharides are studied for immune effects.
Safety
- Generally well tolerated for daily use
- Skip with cold-pattern digestion or chronic loose stools
- Mild laxative effect at high doses
- May lower blood sugar. Monitor if you have diabetes
- Talk to your doctor before starting medicinal use, especially if you take medication
How to take it
Decoct 6–12g of dried dwarf lilyturf tubers in 4 cups water for 30 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 1–2x daily. Pairs well with American ginseng and schisandra for fluid recovery.
Try a Sheng Mai San tea after summer heat or post-illness depletion
Add 9–15g dried dwarf lilyturf to soups or congee with pear, lily bulb, or pork lung. Simmer 30+ minutes. Eat the cooked tubers for full benefit.
Add dwarf lilyturf to a pear-and-lily-bulb dessert soup for dry coughs
Formulas it's in
Generate the Pulse
生脈散 · shēng mài sǎn
The classical pick-me-up after illness, summer heat, or running on empty for too long.
Tonify the Heart
天王補心丹 · tiān wáng bǔ xīn dān
For insomnia, palpitations, and anxiety when Heart yin and blood are running dry
Warm the Menses
溫經湯 · wēn jīng tāng
A TCM formula for cold in the uterus with irregular periods, lower belly chill, and a mix of cold and heat signs.
Where it comes from
Dwarf lilyturf (Ophiopogon japonicus) is a small tuberous root from a perennial native to Japan, China, and Korea. The plant is also grown as ground cover in landscape gardening. In TCM it's called mài mén dōng (麦冬), meaning wheat-gate winter, a nod to the tubers withstanding winter underground. Sheng Mai San, one of TCM's most-used recovery formulas, combines it with American ginseng and schisandra.