Mai Dong - Ophiopogon japonicus

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Mai Men Dong, Mai Dong
 
 Latin
Radix Ophiopogon japonicus
 Introduction Back to Top
Tuber Ophiopogon japonicus is the dried root tuber of Ophiopogon japonicus ( Thunb. Ker-Gawl. (Fam. Liliaceae). The drug is collected in summer, washed clean, sun-dried and piled up repeatedly until nearly dry, removed from rootlet, and dried.

 Western medical Back to Top
This herb is indicated in the treatment of coronary heart disease, hypotension, chronic atrophic gastritis, and diabetes, etc..

 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Clears Heat, nourishes yin, moistens the Lung, nourishes the Stomach, clears the Heat, removes restlessness, moistens the Intestine, relieves constipation.
  • Properties: Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold.
  • Channels entered: Heart, Lung and Stomach.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
This herb contains various steroidal saponins including ophipogon Ken-Gawl saponin A, B, C and D. It also containes b-sitosterol, amino acid, glucose and Vit A-like substance.

 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Influence over blood sugar

Gastrogavage of water filtrate of mai dong at the dosage of 12.5g/kg or intramuscular injection at the dosage of 0.5g/kg to rabbit could both increase blood sugar; but it's also reported that oral administration of water-alcohol extract at the dosage of 0.2g/kg to normal rabbit could lower blood sugar. In rabbits with tetraoxypyrimidine-induced diabetes, 0.5g/kg daily for 4 days in succession could also lower blood sugar and promote the rehabilitation of islet cells.

Effects on cardiovascular system

Animal tests showed that mai dong could significantly antagonize T-wave change of ECG induced by hypophysin in rats, and lower the incidence of arrhythmia. It could protect ischemic cardiac muscle and antagonize experimental arrhythmia. It could also increase the intake rate of cardiac muscle to 86Rb. At a low dosage, it could increase the blood flow volume in coronary artery in isolated Guinea pig's heart; while at a high dosage, the blood flow volume would be decreased. Inderal couldn't block the strengthening effects of mai dong at low dosages on myocardial contractive.

Function of improving anoxia tolerance ability

Intraperitoneal injection of Mai Dong injection at the dosage of 50g/kg could increase the survive number of rats injected isoprel under low pressure (negative pressure 61.18kPa) and meager oxygen.

Influences over body onload="highlight();" immune function

mai dong contains polysaccharide. In tumor immunotherapy, it showed the effect of promoting thymus and body onload="highlight();" fluid reaction. It had host-mediated effect, stimulate reticuloendothelial system, increase the specific antigen immune response ability of host to cancer cells.

Antibacterial effect

mai dong had inhibitory effect on staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus albus, bacillus subtilis, bacillus coli, bacillus typhosus and bacilius diphtheriae, etc.. It also had weak inhibitory effect on bacillus pertussis.

Others

mai dong could excite hematopoiesis. It also had cardiotonic, diuretic, sedative and antitussive effects. It could treat chylous urine and help restore renal functions.

 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Coronary heart disease

Water decoction of mai dong, 10ml (containing 15g crude drug) every time, tid, 3~18 months as a course of treatment; or Mai Dong Injection, 4ml (containing 4g crude drug), intramuscular injection in one or two times, 2~4 months as a course of treatment; or Mai Dong Injection, 40ml (containing crude drug at the concentration of 4g/ml), intravenous injection, 1 week as a course of treatment. 101 cases were treated. Results of symptom curative effect: Among 50 cases treated with oral administration, the total effective rate was 74%; among 31 cases treated with intramuscular injection, the total effective rate was 83.7%; among 20 cases treated with intravenous injection, the total effective rate was 80%. Results of EKG curative effect: in oral administration group, the total effective rate was 40.5%; in intramuscular injection group, the total effective rate was 4.07%; in intravenous group, the total effective rate was 65%.

Hypotension

mai dong 9~15g, wu wei zi 9~12g, gan cao 15~30g were put into 600ml water and decocted to 300ml juice. The juice was taken in two times, one dose every day. 7 cases of hypotension were treated, the curative effect was obvious.

Hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis

mai dong, tian dong, nan sha shen, gan di huang, shan yao, chuan bei mu, chuan bai he, e jiao (melted), 10g each; bai bu, bai ji, 6g each; san qi (ground, swallow), 3g; mu li (decocted first), 15g. 1 dose every day, water decoction, taken in two times. 68 cases of hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis were treated, and hymoptysis stopped in 52 cases and obviously decreased in 14 cases within 24 hours.

Chronic atrophic gastritis

mai dong, yu zhu, shan zha, shi hu, pu gong ying etc., each dose was decocted for three times and made into 300ml juice which was taken orally in 2~3 times. Results: 5 cases were treated (clinical symptoms disappeared, basically restoring showed in examination, no recurrence in more than 10 years' follow-up survey), 17 improved, the total effective rate was 94%.

Post-hepatitis syndrome

mai dong, bei sha shen, dang gui, sheng di, gou qi, zhi gan cao, 10g each; da zao, xiao mai, 20g each were composed as the basic formula, modify the formula according to accompanying symptoms. Water decoction, 1 dose every day; and 1 dose every other day after the state of illness improved. Results: 31 cases were cured, 14 improved, the total effective rate was 91.7%.

Diabetes

Yi Tang Tang: mai dong, tian hua fen, shu di, 10g each; sheng shi gao, sheng shan yao, 30g each; shi hu, bi xie, qian shi, fu pen zi, chong wei zi, sang piao xiao, 15g each; yi zhi ren, 10g; wu bei zi, 6g; water decoction, twice every day. 215 cases of diabetes were treated with above formula as the basic method. Results: 62 cases were cured, 88 improved, the total effective rate was 70%.

Infantile summer fever

Basic formula: sha shen, 15g; mai dong, shan yao, 12g each; fu ling, wu mei, 6g each; mu dan pi, 5g; fu pen zi, xuan shen, 9g each. 1~2 dose every day, water decoction, the juice was taken like tea. 130 cases of infantile summer fever were treated, 70 cases were cured, 30 cases markedly effective, 30 effective, the total effective rate was 93.1%.

Infantile diabetes insipidus

mai dong, huang qin, ge gen, 15g each; zhi mu, zhu ye, wu mei, 10g each; tian hua fen, sha shen, 20g each; lu gen, 40g. Water decoction, the juice was taken in two times. 7 cases of infantile diabetes insipidus were treated, after 9~18 doses, all were cured, no recurrence within the 3-year follow-up survey.

 
 References Back to Top

Except those noted, all references come from Weng Weiliang, et al., Clinical Chinese materia medica, Henan Science & Technology Press, 1998