Tian Men Dong – Asparagus tuber – “Lush Winter Aerial Plant”

Nature: sweet, bitter, very cold

Enters: Lung, Kidney

Actions: Clears heat and reduces fire from the Lungs; nourishes Lung and kidney Yin; moistens dryness, intestines.

Indications:
• Lung heat or fire and Yin deficiency: dry cough with small amount of sticky sputum or cough with bleeding.
• Injury of Yin by heat: dry mouth and thirst.
• Lung and kidney Yin deficiency: wasting and thirsting disorder, consumption, low-grade afternoon fever.
• Large intestine dryness: constipation.
• Sore throat due to kidney Yin deficiency fire or lung heat.
• Reaches the upper and lower Jiaos.
• Often used with Mai men dong to treat both the mother and son.
• Has a viscous, cloying nature – can easily produce stagnation.
• Antibiotic effects.
• May help leukemia.
• Said to engender love and compassion.
• For Lung heat and dryness, compared to Tian hua fen and Mai men dong, Tian men dong is superior when the origin is kidney Yin deficiency (Tian hua fen is best when the origin in stomach heat and Mai men dong is best when the origin is heart fire)
Dui Yao: The Art of Combining Chinese Medicinals: Compared to Mai men dong, Tian men dong is better for Lung/kidney Yin deficiency, and better for clearing and moistening.
The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine: Shatavari: “who possesses 100 husbands” – named such because it is so tonic and rejuvenative to the female reproductive organs.
• P, V-; K and ama+ (in excess); Sattvic.
• Sexual debility, especially of the female organs, infertility, impotence, menopause, diarrhea, dysentery, stomach ulcers, hyperacidity, dehydration, lung abscess, hematemesis, cough, convalescence, cancer, herpes, leukorrhea, chronic fevers.
• A rasayan for Pitta, for the female reproductive system, and for the blood.
• Demulcent for dry and inflamed membranes.
• Topical: emollient for stiff joints, neck, muscle spasm.
• Contains many female hormones.
Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations: Diuretic, laxative, cardiac tonic and sedative.
• Also for neuritis and rheumatism.
Oriental Materia Medica (Hong-Yen Hsu): Antibacterial, antitussive, diuretic, laxative.
Chinese Medical Herbology & Pharmacology: May increase milk production in nursing mothers.
• With Bai Hua She She Cao (oral, injected) for malignant lymphoma, breast cancer, fibrocystic breasts.

Dose: 6-15g

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