Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang
Quick Facts
- What it is: A 7-herb Chinese formula from 1798, taken as a single preparation, used traditionally for dry cough, dry throat and dry mouth after illness.
- Main uses: Dry cough with little phlegm, Dry mouth and throat, Dryness after a fever or illness
- Best for: A short course for a lingering dry, tickly cough, Dryness and thirst in the weeks after an infection
- Active ingredients: Glehnia root coumarins, Ophiopogon saponins and polysaccharides, Polygonatum homoisoflavonoids, Trichosanthin from Trichosanthes root, Glycyrrhizin from licorice (Gan Cao)
- Forms: Raw herbs for decoction (a strong simmered tea), Granules or extract powder, Pills, tablets or capsules, Ready-made liquid vials
- Time to effect: Traditionally a few days to two weeks; no trial data confirms this.
- Side effects: Usually mild digestive upset; the licorice in it can raise blood pressure, cause swelling and lower potassium.
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What is Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang?
Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang is a Chinese herb formula for dryness. In English it is called Glehnia and Ophiopogonis Decoction.
People take it for a dry throat and a dry, tickly cough. The cough brings up little or no phlegm. It is also used for a dry mouth and thirst, often after a fever or a long illness.
The formula holds seven herbs, but you take it as one mix. So we treat it here as a single remedy.
In older practice it is given to "moisten" the lungs and stomach. Heat or illness is said to dry them out.
Most modern users reach for it for one of these:
- a dry cough that lingers - a dry mouth from Sjogren's syndrome (an immune illness that dries up spit and tears) - dryness after radiotherapy (X-ray cancer treatment)
Here is the honest verdict on proof. The formula has a long, well recorded past in Chinese medicine. But good human trials in English are very thin.
So we cannot say it works better than a placebo for any illness. A long record of older use is not proof that something works. That point is made here once, not again in each section below.
How does Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang work?
No one has shown how this formula works in people. So what follows is theory, not proven fact.
In Chinese medicine it is said to nourish yin (the body's cooling, moist side) and make fluids. Sha Shen and Mai Men Dong are the lead herbs. They moisten the lungs and stomach.
Sang Ye is said to clear leftover dryness-heat. Gan Cao (licorice) blends the mix together.
Lab and animal studies of the single herbs report two effects. The herbs may calm swelling and thin mucus. Large sugar molecules (polysaccharides) from Ophiopogon have been studied for lung tissue protection.
None of that has been shown to be the reason any person feels better.
What forms does Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang come in?
It comes in several forms:
- raw cut herbs, simmered at home into a decoction (a strong tea); this is the classic form - granules or powdered extract, stirred into hot water; this is the most common modern form - pills, tablets or capsules of strong extract - ready-made liquid vials from Chinese pharmacies
Strength varies a lot between makers. Some Chinese patent medicines have been found to hold hidden drugs or heavy metals. Buy only from a seller that publishes test results.
Where it comes from:
The formula comes from a book called Wen Bing Tiao Bian (Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases). Wu Jutong wrote it in 1798.
That book is a key text of the "warm disease" school of Chinese medicine. The school dealt with fevers and the dry, drained state they leave behind.
The formula has stayed in steady use in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam ever since. It is in standard Chinese medicine formula textbooks today. Its standing rests deeply on one tradition, not on several.
Who should avoid Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang?
- Do not use if you are pregnant or might become pregnant. Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthes root) has been used to end pregnancy and can harm a developing baby.
- Do not use if you are breastfeeding, because safety for the baby is unknown.
- Do not give it to a child unless a qualified practitioner has prescribed it.
- Do not use if you have low potassium (hypokalaemia), because the licorice in it can push your potassium lower still.
- Do not use if you have high blood pressure that is not well controlled.
- Do not use if you have heart failure, or any heart rhythm problem such as an irregular or very fast heartbeat.
- Do not use if you have kidney disease or liver disease, unless your doctor has checked it first.
- Do not use if you take digoxin or a potassium-losing water pill (a diuretic such as furosemide).
- Do not use if you are allergic to any of the seven herbs, or to licorice.
- Avoid it if your cough is wet and productive with thick phlegm and you feel chilled. Traditionally this formula is for dryness and is the wrong choice for that pattern.
- Do not take it alongside cancer treatment, a transplant medicine or any immune-suppressing drug without telling your specialist team.
- Never use it instead of prescribed medicine for asthma, diabetes, an autoimmune condition or an infection.
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor before you start if you are on any regular prescription, especially heart, blood pressure, blood-thinning, steroid or diabetes medicine.
Stop taking it and get medical help the same day if you notice swelling in your ankles, hands or face, unusual muscle weakness or cramps, a pounding or irregular heartbeat, or a blood pressure reading well above your usual.
Get checked promptly if your cough lasts more than three weeks, you cough up blood, you are short of breath, you lose weight without trying, or you run a fever. Those need a diagnosis, not a herbal formula.
Go to an emergency department if your lips, tongue or throat swell, or you struggle to breathe after a dose.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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