Skip to content
Cura x Cura

Tian Men Dong天门冬

Asparagi Radix · Asparagus Tuber · Chinese Asparagus Root

Herbs that Tonify the Yin 补阴药Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing 《神农本草经》

Overview

The plump tuberous root of a climbing asparagus, sweet and bitter and properly cold. It nourishes Lung and Kidney yin and clears the heat that rises when yin runs short — dry cough, a parched throat, tidal fever, night sweats. It is the deeper, colder counterpart to Mai Men Dong 麦门冬: Mai Dong works higher and more gently, while Tian Dong reaches the Kidney and cools harder. Dry-fried Tian Men Dong loses some of that cold and sits better on a weak Spleen, which matters because the raw herb is rich and can loosen the stool.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet, bitter · Cold

Channels

Lung · Kidney

Typical Dosage

6–12 g in decoction
天门冬Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Nourishes yin, moistens drynessDry cough with scant sticky sputum, sometimes streaked with blood; a dry mouth and throat and a hoarse voice.
  • Clears Lung fire and deficiency heatAfternoon tidal fever, night sweats and flushed cheeks where heat is generated by empty yin rather than by an external pathogen.
  • Enriches Kidney yin, generates fluidsWasting-thirst with constant drinking, and the dry, hard stool that comes with a dry interior.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Tian Men Dong

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Dry cough with scant, sticky or blood-streaked sputum
    - Dry mouth and throat, hoarse voice
    - Tidal fever and night sweats from yin deficiency
    - Wasting-thirst and dryness-type constipation

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Chronic dry coughBronchitisNight sweatsDry mouthConstipation

Contraindications

Cautions

Cold and rich, this herb is the wrong choice for anyone with Spleen deficiency who has loose stools, poor appetite and a pale swollen tongue — it will make the digestion heavier and the stool looser. It is equally wrong at the start of a wind-cold cough with thin, clear, copious sputum, where moistening seals the pathogen in. When a yin-deficient patient also has a weak Spleen, use the dry-fried form and pair it with Spleen-moving herbs. Coughing blood, or a cough lasting more than a few weeks, needs medical assessment alongside any herbal treatment.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; it is cold and moistening, so it is matched to the pattern rather than taken routinely.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.