Herb

Asparagus Root (Tian men dong)

天门冬tian men dong
1 sourceRadix Asparagi

Enriches yin and moistens dryness, settles and clears the lung to relieve cough and lung abscess, drains fire, and relieves wasting-thirst.

Used in 1 formulas

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·主治（《本经》）

References
  • functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
  • WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
  • public pharmacopoeia & botanical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Traditional functions

Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.

传统中医记载：《本经》载天门冬主诸暴风湿偏痹、强骨髓、杀三虫、去伏尸，久服轻身益气延年；《别录》保定肺气、去寒热、养肌肤、利小便；甄权谓治肺气咳逆、喘息促急、肺痿生痈吐脓、除热、止消渴；李时珍谓润燥滋阴、清金降火。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 苦，平，无毒（《本经》）；《别录》谓甘、大寒；王好古谓气寒、味微苦而辛，气薄味厚，阳中之阴，入手太阴、足少阴经气分。·Meridians: 肺（手太阴·气分）, 肾（足少阴·气分）

Used in formulas
Citations
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬（条目标题·《本经》上品）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·释名（天门冬独有名）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its alternate names.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·气味（《本经》《别录》王好古）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·气味（王好古：入手太阴、足少阴经气分）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its meridian tropism.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·主治（《本经》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·主治（甄权）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·天门冬·气味（之才·损之禁食鲤鱼）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.