{"id":1833,"date":"2018-05-17T02:31:06","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T07:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicinalherbals.net\/?p=1833"},"modified":"2024-01-07T11:42:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T16:42:06","slug":"mai-dong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medicinalherbals.net\/mai-dong\/","title":{"rendered":"Mai Dong (Mai Men Dong Tang): Benefits & Side Effects of this TCM Drink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Mai dong (Radix Ophiopogonis <\/em>or Ophiopogonis japonicus<\/em>) (\u9ea6\u51ac) is a herb in the Lilaceae or Asparagaceae <\/em>family depending on the classification system used. Other plants in the Lilaceae<\/em> family include the lily, tulip, and fritillary. On the other hand, the Asparagaceae<\/em> family includes such genuses as Agave, Asparagus, Hosta, and Yucca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mai Dong plant grows to be 12-40 cm high and is made up of fibrous blade-like leaves. The leaves of the Mai Dong grow in clumps. Above ground it looks a lot like other grasses. However, it is under the ground that the medicinal part of the plant is found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only the root of the Mai Dong (also called Mai Men Dong and the Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber) plant is used medicinally. The roots have an oval shape with a thick middle and tapered edges. They can be 1 cm long or more and between 5-10 mm wide. The herb is harvested in the summer and dried for use. Mai Dong is reported to have a slightly sweet and bitter flavor with a fragrant smell, and has free sterols, stigmasterol, sterol glycoside, ophiopogonin A, B, C, and D, ruscogenin, beta-sitosteral, campesterol, and homoisoflavonoids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n