Shashen Maidong Tang: Generating Fluids, Nourishing the Stomach, and Moistening Dryness to Stop Cough

Shashen Maidong Tang comes from the Wenbing Tiaobian; it generates fluids, nourishes the stomach, moistens dryness, and stops cough. Original: Shashen three qian (15 g), Yuzhu (Polygonatum odoratum) two qian (10 g), raw Gancao (licorice) one qian (5 g), winter Sangye (mullein) one qian five fen (7.5 g), Maidong (Ophiopogon) three qian (15 g), raw Biandou (Dolichos) one qian five fen (7.5 g), Tianhuafen (Trichosanthes root) one qian five fen (7.5 g). Boil five cups of water down to two, take twice daily. The Wenbing Tiaobian uses it for dry throat and thirst, or fever, or dry cough with little phlegm, from insufficiency of lung-stomach yin fluids.

Shashen and Maidong clear and nourish lung and stomach; either Beishashen (Glehnia) or Nanshashen (Adenophora) works, but Beishashen is better for a pronounced cough. Yuzhu and Tianhuafen generate fluids and stop thirst; raw Biandou and raw Gancao boost qi and middle, gently harmonizing the stomach, and Gancao also clears heat-toxin and stops cough. Winter mullein leaf is light and dispersing, moistening lung dryness and venting lung heat, clearing and nourishing lung-stomach, generating fluids and moistening dryness; it also lowers blood sugar, so diabetic patients may double its dose.

It is widely used for pneumonia, chronic pharyngitis, bronchitis, aphthous ulcers, diphtheria, and tuberculosis with dryness damaging lung yin; for gastric-yin exhaustion from chronic (superficial/atrophic) gastritis; and for diabetes, hyperthyroidism, Sjogren syndrome, and scarlet fever with lung-stomach yin deficiency.

Cancer patients with lung, gastric, or esophageal cancer and lung-stomach yin deficiency, or with exhaustion of lung-stomach fluids after radiotherapy, may also use it. Radiation pneumonitis: add Lugen (Phragmites rhizome), Baimaogen (Imperata), Jinyinhua, Huangqin, Tiandong, Xianhecao. Radiation esophagitis: combine with Can-Zhe Pei-Qi Tang plus Xuanshen and raw Rehmannia. If stools are dry and bound, combine with Zengye Tang or Zengye Chengqi Tang.

The key signs are dry throat/thirst, dry cough with little sputum, and a red tongue with scant coating. Patients usually have no fever, or only mild fever. It must not be used in pneumonia with abundant phlegm, for the yin-nourishing herbs would increase phlegm.