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Formula治燥剂· 滋阴润燥

麦门冬汤

Mài Mén Dōng Tāng

Ophiopogon Decoction

Zhang Zhongjing's formula from the Jin Gui Yao Lue for Lung-Stomach yin vacuity with qi-fire counterflow causing Lung atrophy and vacuity-heat cough. Mai dong is used in a very large dose as chief, combined with a small amount of ban xia for acrid-moist complementarity, plus ren shen, gan cao, and da zao to cultivate the middle and generate fluids.

Source《金匮要略》肺痿肺痈咳嗽上气病脉证治第七

Treatment Principle

清养肺胃，降逆下气

Clear and nourish the Lung and Stomach; direct rebellious qi downward

Formula Rhyme

麦门冬汤用人参，枣草粳米半夏存。肺痿咳逆因虚火，清养肺胃此方珍。

—— 方剂学方歌（传统汤头歌诀）

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
麦冬Mài Dōng	君Sovereign	60g	重用以清养肺胃之阴，润燥降逆，为君药
半夏Bàn Xià	臣Minister	9g	降逆化痰，与麦冬大量相伍，降逆而不燥，滋润而不腻
人参Rén Shēn	佐Assistant	6g	益气生津
大枣Dà Zǎo	佐Assistant	12 pieces	补脾益气，养胃生津
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	4g	益气和中，调和诸药；炙甘草

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

肺阴虚证

Fèi Yīn Xū Zhèng

Lung Yin Vacuity Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

以水一斗二升，煮取六升，温服一升，日三夜一服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-17

PractitionerPatientDate

麦门冬汤Mài Mén Dōng Tāng

Ophiopogon Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
麦冬	Mài Dōng	Jun (Sovereign)	60g
半夏	Bàn Xià	Chen (Minister)	9g
人参	Rén Shēn	Zuo (Assistant)	6g
大枣	Dà Zǎo	Zuo (Assistant)	12 pieces
甘草	Gān Cǎo	Shi (Courier)	4g

Preparation: 以水一斗二升，煮取六升，温服一升，日三夜一服。

This prescription is provided only by the dispensing TCM practitioner. Take as directed; do not modify the dose or share it. If you experience any adverse effect, stop immediately and contact your practitioner. The content of this platform is educational reference, not medical advice.
Bencao Dian · https://bencaodian.org · CC BY-SA 4.0

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-mai-men-dong-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Mài Mén Dōng Tāng 麦门冬汤 (Ophiopogon Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/mai-men-dong-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
麦冬Mài Dōng	君Sovereign	60g	重用以清养肺胃之阴，润燥降逆，为君药
半夏Bàn Xià	臣Minister	9g	降逆化痰，与麦冬大量相伍，降逆而不燥，滋润而不腻
人参Rén Shēn	佐Assistant	6g	益气生津
大枣Dà Zǎo	佐Assistant	12 pieces	补脾益气，养胃生津
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	4g	益气和中，调和诸药；炙甘草

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

麦冬

Mài Dōng

Jun (Sovereign)

60g

半夏

Bàn Xià

Chen (Minister)

人参

Rén Shēn

Zuo (Assistant)

大枣

Dà Zǎo

Zuo (Assistant)

12 pieces

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Shi (Courier)

@misc{bencaodian-mai-men-dong-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Mài Mén Dōng Tāng 麦门冬汤 (Ophiopogon Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/mai-men-dong-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }