Roots and rhizomesHeat-clearingIlicis Pubescentis Radix

Mao Dong Qing (Pubescent Holly Root)

A practical guide to Mao Dong Qing: what it is, how Traditional Chinese Medicine uses it, the classical formulas it appears in, and who should be careful with it.

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Last reviewed Oct 29, 2026

Quick Facts

Latin NameIlicis Pubescentis Radix
Chinese Name & Pinyin 毛冬青 · Mao Dong Qing
Medicinal PartRoots and rhizomes
The itemMao Dong Qing is the dried root of the holly Ilex pubescens, used as slices or a wine-fried preparation. Shan Dou Gen is not this herb.
Nature and channelsBitter, astringent, cold. Enters the Lung and Liver. Bitter cold clears heat, astringency settles, and it also moves blood and frees the vessels.
Pharmacopoeia lineClears heat and benefits the throat. Invigorates blood and frees the vessels. Used for dryness-heat sore throat, tonsil swelling, mouth sores, and swelling-pain from blood stasis and blocked vessels.
Pattern cuesSore throat after late nights or spicy food. Heavy body and chest-flank distension. Local swelling-pain after injury.
In this articleMao Dong Qing versus Shan Dou Gen. Throat-clearing versus blood-moving. Why spleen-stomach deficiency-cold should skip it. Why pregnancy is a caution. Why bleeding tendencies need a clinic.

What Is Mao Dong Qing?

Mao Dong Qing (毛冬青; Máo Dōng Qīng; Latin: Ilex Pubescentis Radix; English: pubescent holly root) in the current pharmacopoeia is the dried root of Ilex pubescens, an evergreen holly shrub, usually washed, cut, and dried as root slices; a wine-fried preparation moves blood a little more strongly. It is bitter, astringent, and cold, enters the Lung and Liver channels, and its core actions are to clear heat and benefit the throat, and to invigorate blood and free the vessels. It usually goes into decoctions or light herbal teas. The usual amount is 6–15 g. It is simmered for about 10–15 minutes with no special first-or-late addition. External use is ground fine and applied to minor burns and scalds.

It is not Shan Dou Gen. Sophora root is bitter-cold and much stronger, draining lung and stomach fire for severe, pus-filled sore throats; it has no astringent quality and does not move blood. Spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, with bloating, loose stools, and cold limbs, is a poor match. Pregnancy and breastfeeding should avoid it. A bleeding tendency, such as frequent gum or stool bleeding, needs a clinic first. People on blood-thinning, blood-pressure, or blood-sugar medicine should ask a doctor before using it.

It is used most often for three patterns:

  • Dryness-heat sore throat, swollen tonsils, and mouth sores
  • Heavy body and mild chest-flank distension from sedentary life and emotional constraint
  • Local swelling-pain after mild injury

Bitter, astringent, and cold, it is not a daily throat tea to keep steeping. Cooling when there is no heat, in someone with a cold weak stomach, damages the spleen and drives loose stools.

When dryness-heat smokes the lung channel, a swollen painful throat, mouth sores, dry mouth, and yellow urine are common; when static blood blocks the vessels, local swelling-pain and a heavy body follow. Mao Dong Qing is bitter, astringent, and cold. It clears heat, drains downward, and moves blood, which is why it appears in Mao Dong Qing Tang (Pubescent Holly Root Decoction)–type formulas, and, paired with Dang Gui and Hong Hua, in Mao Dong Qing Huo Xue Yin (Blood-Moving Drink)–type formulas. It clears more than it builds. A cold weak spleen and stomach, with no heat at all, get worse if more is added.

Mao Dong Qing is not a catch-all cooling or circulation herb. In deficiency-cold, with no heat, or in pregnancy, using it alone is a poor match. Raw slices or wine-fried, and whether it belongs in a formula, should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Mao Dong Qing

Mao Dong Qing: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Ilicis Pubescentis Radix

Botanical Origin

The dried root of Ilex pubescens Hook. et Arn. (Aquifoliaceae).

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi.

Quality Requirements

Superior material is thick and firm.

Macroscopic Features

Irregular slices or blocks, 1~5 cm thick; externally grayish-brown or brownish, rough with fine wrinkles and transverse lenticels; cut surface pale yellowish-white or pale brown, bark thin, wood broad with radial rays; texture hard; faint odor; slightly bitter and astringent taste.

Main Regions and Quality Identification

Traditional materia medica and industry experience value the Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian regions, but actual quality also depends on variety, harvest time, processing, and storage. In appearance, the Mao Dong Qing root is cylindrical and slightly curved, 1–3 cm in diameter, with a gray-brown or grayish-brown surface, longitudinal wrinkles and transverse lenticels, a hard, brittle texture, a thin bark on the cross-section, and yellowish-white wood with radial lines; the odor is faint and the taste slightly bitter. The difference between raw and processed: the wine-stir-fried Mao Dong Qing has a slightly deeper surface color, a faint wine fragrance, and a slightly softer texture. The common look-alike is the root of the same-genus holly — similar in form, but the cross-section of the holly root has finer wood lines and a fainter odor; distinguish by odor and cross-section lines.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Bitter, Astringent; CoolHeartLung

1. Records in Classic Materia Medica

  • Guang Xi Zhong Cao Yao: records that Mao Dong Qing "clears heat, reduces inflammation, reduces swelling and stops pain; treats tonsillitis and laryngitis."
  • Fu Jian Min Jian Cao Yao: records that it can "invigorate blood and free the vessels; treat traumatic injury."
  • Zhong Hua Ben Cao: adds its use of "cooling the blood and resolving toxin; treating burns and scalds."

These records all center on its heat-clearing and blood-invigorating actions, without describing it as a herb that can treat many complex diseases.

2. How Views of Its Nature Changed

Different physicians saw it somewhat differently. Some Lingnan physicians stressed its heat-clearing, throat-benefiting action, mostly using it for the dryness-heat patterns of throat swelling-pain and mouth sores; physicians of the southeastern regions emphasized its blood-invigorating, vessel-freeing action, using it for the swelling-pain regulation after traumatic injury. This difference is not a denial of its nature, but an adjustment of the application direction based on the common health problems of different regions — which also makes Mao Dong Qing's scope more targeted, rather than a general-purpose universal herb.

Mao Dong Qing

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Clears heat and resolves toxin, activates blood and unblocks collaterals.

1. First Direction: Clearing Heat and Benefiting the Throat

  • Traditional action: clear heat and benefit the throat — its most representative traditional action; the core is clearing the dryness-heat evil of the lung channel and easing the redness, swelling, and pain of the throat.
  • Typical signs: the throat swelling-pain, tonsil redness, and mouth sores of dryness-heat, mostly with dry mouth, yellow urine, and a yellowish tongue coating — often appearing after late nights or spicy food, or as the dryness-heat discomfort of seasonal change.
  • Usual combinations: generally paired with other heat-clearing herbs such as Jin Yin Hua and Lian Qiao to strengthen the throat-benefiting effect; with obvious dry mouth, a little Mai Dong can be added to attend to both clearing heat and generating fluids.
  • Who should not self-use: those with spleen-stomach cold — who usually have abdominal distension and loose stools — should not self-use; if the throat swelling-pain comes from a wind-cold cold (fear of cold, clear runny nose), Mao Dong Qing is also not suited.

2. Second Direction: Invigorating Blood and Freeing the Vessels

  • Traditional action: invigorate blood and free the vessels — the core is freeing the stasis in the blood vessels and easing the discomfort of sluggish blood flow.
  • Typical signs: local swelling-pain after traumatic injury, or the heavy body and chest-flank distension-pain of daily long sitting or emotional suppression — mostly with a local stagnation feeling or a darker tongue.
  • Usual combinations: for traumatic injury, paired with Dang Gui and Hong Hua to strengthen invigorating blood and scattering stasis; for chest-flank distension-pain, paired with Chai Hu and Xiang Fu to attend to both regulating qi and invigorating blood.
  • Who should not self-use: pregnant women absolutely must not use it, to avoid body discomfort; people with a bleeding tendency — such as frequent gum bleeding or blood in the stool — are also not suited to self-use.

3. Classic Pairing: Mao Dong Qing With Jie Geng

The common herb pair is Mao Dong Qing with Jie Geng. Jie Geng can xuan-fa (open and diffuse) the lung and benefit the throat, guiding the drug power to reach the throat; Mao Dong Qing focuses on clearing heat and benefiting the throat. Together they coordinate — both clearing the dryness-heat of the throat and improving the qi-blood movement of the throat — fitting the throat swelling-pain and hoarse voice of dryness-heat. This pair needs a practitioner's pattern diagnosis; if the throat swelling-pain is accompanied by obvious spleen-stomach cold, the combination still needs adjustment.

Mao Dong Qing

Modern Research

Modern research offers useful context, but Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes on whole-pattern diagnosis rather than isolated compounds.

1. Main Chemical Constituents

Detected constituents include flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins, organic acids, and coumarins. These are natural substances present in the plant — not directly equal to clinical efficacy. In in vitro experiments, some flavonoid constituents were observed to have some inhibitory effect on certain inflammation-related enzymes; in animal experiments, the Mao Dong Qing extract was found to have some influence on the vasodilation of experimental animals. But human clinical research on Mao Dong Qing is still relatively limited — no clear conclusion on efficacy has been reached.

2. Current Research Directions

Current research on Mao Dong Qing mainly focuses on its potential anti-inflammatory and blood-invigorating actions. Studies show that some in vitro results offer a preliminary direction for later research, but such results cannot directly correspond to the actual effect in humans. The actions of some constituents observed in experiments still need more verification; at present the research mainly stays at the level of the extract, without yet reaching the clinical application of monomer constituents — more human studies are still needed to verify its actual effect in daily health regulation.

3. Limitations of Current Research

  • Lab results are not clinical efficacy — in vitro and animal results cannot be directly replicated in humans.
  • Extracts and monomers are not the same as traditional decoction pieces — the Mao Dong Qing slice is a mixture of many constituents, differing in mechanism from a single-constituent extract.
  • Doses and preparation methods vary between studies — the experimental results differ and its action cannot be judged uniformly.
  • A single component does not define the whole herb — Mao Dong Qing's overall action is the joint result of many constituents; a single constituent's action cannot represent the whole herb's effect.

Mao Dong Qing

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. What They Share

Choosing Shan Dou Gen as the similar herb, the two share three main points:

  • Both have heat-clearing as a main action — both can ease the throat discomfort of dryness-heat.
  • Both can be used for the throat swelling-pain patterns of dryness-heat.
  • In daily heat-clearing regulation, both are often used with other herbs, and both need constitution care.

2. The Key Differences: Mao Dong Qing vs. Shan Dou Gen

  • Nature and flavors: Mao Dong Qing is cold with bitter-astringent flavors, entering the lung and liver channels — clear-draining overall but not fierce, also carrying a blood-invigorating action; Shan Dou Gen is also cold, but with a bitter flavor, entering the lung and stomach channels — its heat-clearing action is fiercer, without the astringency or blood-invigorating character.
  • Focus: Mao Dong Qing's core strength is clearing heat and benefiting the throat while also invigorating blood — fitting dryness-heat discomfort with sluggish blood flow; Shan Dou Gen's core strength is clearing heat and draining fire — fitting throat swelling-pain of heavier dryness-heat, such as tonsil suppuration.
  • Qi tendency: Mao Dong Qing is mainly clear-draining and descending — able to regulate both the throat's dryness-heat and the local blood-vessel stasis at the same time; Shan Dou Gen is mainly clear-discharging and descending — mainly targeting the dryness-heat evil of the stomach and lung, with no blood-invigorating tendency.
  • Best fit: Mao Dong Qing's indications are mostly mild-to-moderate throat swelling-pain with dry mouth and a heavy body; Shan Dou Gen's indications are mostly severe throat swelling-pain with gum swelling-pain and constipation.
  • Not suitable: Mao Dong Qing is not for those with spleen-stomach cold or a bleeding tendency; Shan Dou Gen likewise is not for those with spleen-stomach cold, and because it is bitter-cold and fierce, overdose may bring stomach discomfort — its contraindication range is relatively stricter.
  • Use scenes: Mao Dong Qing more often appears in daily tea regulation and daily care of mild discomfort; Shan Dou Gen more often appears in physician-prescribed formulas for the treatment of heavier throat conditions.

3. One-Sentence Summary

Simply put, Mao Dong Qing leans toward gentle heat-clearing with blood-invigorating, whereas Shan Dou Gen leans toward fierce heat-clearing with fire-draining. Both can be used for the throat discomfort of dryness-heat, but they are not interchangeable.

Mao Dong Qing

Classical Formulas Containing Mao Dong Qing

Classic Formula 1: Mao Dong Qing Tang (Pubescent Holly Decoction)

Combination logic: In Mao Dong Qing Tang, Mao Dong Qing is the lord — directly carrying the core actions of clearing heat, benefiting the throat, and invigorating blood to free the vessels — mainly addressing the throat swelling-pain of dryness-heat with blood-vessel stasis. It is combined with Jin Yin Hua to strengthen the heat-clearing and Jie Geng to guide the drug power to the throat — the three work together, both clearing the dryness-heat and freeing the vessels. Mao Dong Qing alone cannot be used, because one herb's action is limited; pairing with other herbs can attend to both heat-clearing and regulating qi movement, better easing the discomfort.

Traditional use: the formula is traditionally used to ease the throat swelling-pain of dryness-heat and the local swelling-pain after traumatic injury — a regulating formula for mild-to-moderate discomfort.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care; do not self-apply just because the formula name relates to a throat condition.

Classic Formula 2: Mao Dong Qing Huo Xue Yin (Pubescent Holly Blood-Invigorating Drink)

Combination logic: In Mao Dong Qing Huo Xue Yin, Mao Dong Qing is the minister — assisting Dang Gui and Hong Hua in invigorating blood and scattering stasis — mainly addressing the blood-vessel stasis after traumatic injury. It is combined with Chuan Xiong, which moves qi and invigorates blood, strengthening Mao Dong Qing's blood-invigorating effect — the three work together, both scattering the stasis and freeing the qi and blood. Mao Dong Qing alone cannot be used, because one herb's blood-invigorating action is limited; pairing with qi-moving, blood-invigorating herbs better improves the local swelling-pain.

Traditional use: the formula is traditionally used for the local swelling-pain after traumatic injury, and the chest-flank distension-pain of sluggish blood flow.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care — do not judge the scope by the formula name alone.

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

A formula is a whole in which many herbs act together — a single herb cannot simply replicate a full formula's effect, because the doses and combinations in a formula are holistic and different herbs' pairing can mutually strengthen or check. Do not build your own formulas from online articles — online information often lacks the premise of pattern diagnosis and cannot guarantee that the combination matches the user's pattern. The common misunderstanding is that because a herb works inside a formula, taking it alone will produce the same effect — in fact, the synergy of many herbs in a formula cannot be replaced by a single herb; taking Mao Dong Qing alone may fail to reach the formula's regulating effect, and may even bring discomfort if it does not match the pattern.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Tea and Porridge

Tea — Mao Dong Qing Li Yan Cha: Mao Dong Qing 3 g, Jin Yin Hua 2 g, Mai Dong 2 g. Steep all the ingredients in boiling water, cover 10 minutes, and drink. Suited to the mild throat discomfort after late nights or spicy food. Not for those with spleen-stomach cold. Suggested: 1–2 times a week, one cup each time. Note: Mao Dong Qing is a medicinal slice — do not add it casually as an ordinary food; control the amount.

Tea — Mao Dong Qing Huo Xue Cha: Mao Dong Qing 2 g, Mei Gui Hua 1 g, Chen Pi 1 g. Steep all the ingredients in boiling water, cover 8 minutes, and drink. Suited to the heavy body after long sitting and mild chest-flank distension-pain. Not for pregnant women or people with a bleeding tendency. Suggested: once every two weeks, one cup each time.

2. Decoction and Processing Differences

The raw product mainly clears heat, benefits the throat, and invigorates blood — fitting daily tea or mild regulation; the wine-stir-fried product has a somewhat stronger blood-invigorating action — fitting local regulation after traumatic injury. At home, the Mao Dong Qing slice needs no special handling — put it directly into the teapot or clay pot; no pre-boiling, late addition, or bag-boiling; the decocting time is 10–15 minutes. Different forms cannot be converted directly — the slice amount and the extract dose differ greatly; do not substitute casually.

3. Dosage and Course

The common dose of Mao Dong Qing in traditional prescriptions is 6–15 g; the food-therapy dose should be halved, generally 2–5 g. Long-term continuous use is not advised: each drinking course should not exceed 3 days; if the discomfort is not relieved after 3 days, stop and consult a doctor. Special groups — pregnant women, children, and people with liver or kidney impairment — should consult a doctor or pharmacist before deciding whether to use it.

Mao Dong Qing

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It

  • Spleen-stomach cold — who usually have abdominal distension, loose stools, and cold hands and feet — not suited.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding — avoid use, to prevent body discomfort.
  • Children and the elderly — weaker body functions; use under a doctor's guidance.
  • Liver or kidney impairment — weaker drug metabolism; do not self-use.
  • Allergy to Aquifoliaceae (holly-family) plants — avoid use, to prevent an allergic reaction.
  • Those taking anticoagulant, blood-pressure, or blood-sugar medications — use with caution, to avoid drug interactions.

2. Interactions and Diet Notes

Mao Dong Qing may interact with anticoagulants, blood-pressure medications, and blood-sugar medications — people taking such drugs should consult a doctor or pharmacist first and not self-use. There is no sufficient evidence for a general "food clash" between ordinary foods, but certain herbs can interact with specific drugs — anyone on medication should consult a doctor or pharmacist first.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risk

Overdose of Mao Dong Qing may bring stomach discomfort and diarrhea; some people may have allergic reactions such as rash and itching. If marked discomfort, allergy signs, persistent vomiting, breathing difficulty, altered consciousness, or rapidly worsening symptoms appear, stop at once and seek medical care.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mao Dong Qing

What is Mao Dong Qing? Are Dan Shen and Chuan Xiong the same?
Mao Dong Qing (毛冬青) is the dried root of Ilex pubescens (Ilicis Pubescentis Radix), a common Chinese herb centered on activating blood and unblocking vessels, and clearing heat and detoxifying. Dan Shen activates blood and dispels stasis, leaning to cooling blood. Chuan Xiong moves qi and activates blood, leaning to headaches. The three cannot be interchanged by equal weight. Write Mao Dong Qing. Use caution in yin deficiency internal heat.
What is the composition and traditional use of Mao Dong Qing?
Pharmacopoeial name Mao Dong Qing, Latin Ilex pubescens Hook. et Arn. Bitter and astringent, cold; enters the Heart and Lung channels. It acts to activate blood and unblock vessels, clear heat and detoxify. It is used for chest bi heart pain, stroke hemiplegia, external wind-heat, Lung-heat wheezing and cough, swollen sore throat, and burns or scalds. Activates blood and detoxifies.
How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Dan Shen replace it?
Slices used raw. Dan Shen leans to dispelling stasis without specialized detoxifying; it cannot replace the formula by equal weight. Commercial products follow regulated processing; do not self-modify.
What is the usual dosage? Can it be drunk daily as a blood-activating tea?
Decocted, 30-60 g. Modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “Mao Dong Qing tea.” Yin deficiency internal heat only injures further. Chest bi needs a practitioner to name a short course; it does not replace assessment.
What are the contraindications? Can it be used in pregnancy?
Not suitable for yin deficiency internal heat. Pregnancy requires practitioner assessment. Stop if loose stool or abdominal pain appears. Severe chest pain or high fever needs immediate medical care.
Can Mao Dong Qing activate blood, unblock vessels, clear heat and detoxify?
It can help chest bi heart pain, stroke hemiplegia, external wind-heat, Lung-heat wheezing and cough, swollen sore throat, and burns or scalds. It activates blood and unblocks vessels, clears heat and detoxifies—not a specific for every chest bi or every stroke.
Can Mao Dong Qing be drunk daily as a blood-activating or detoxifying tea?
Blood stasis chest bi may enter a short formula; yin deficiency internal heat only injures further. “Mao Dong Qing must activate blood” does not replace assessment. Activating blood, unblocking vessels, clearing heat and detoxifying should be named by a practitioner with form and dose.
How do you choose among Mao Dong Qing, Dan Shen, Chuan Xiong, Hong Hua and Yin Xing Ye?
Mao Dong Qing activates blood and unblocks vessels while clearing heat and detoxifying, leaning to chest bi and burns. Dan Shen activates blood and dispels stasis, leaning to cooling blood. Chuan Xiong moves qi and activates blood, leaning to headaches. Hong Hua activates blood and unblocks menstruation, leaning to stasis. Yin Xing Ye activates blood and resolves stasis, leaning to chest bi. Activating blood favors Mao Dong Qing; dispelling stasis favors Dan Shen; moving qi favors Chuan Xiong; unblocking menstruation favors Hong Hua; resolving stasis favors Yin Xing Ye. They may be referenced after pattern differentiation; yin deficiency forbids large Mao Dong Qing.
How is Mao Dong Qing commonly modified? What is the representative use?
Depends on the pattern. Chest bi may add Dan Shen; burns may be applied externally. Write Mao Dong Qing; do not replace the detoxifying action with an equal weight of Dan Shen.
How do you choose and store Mao Dong Qing?
Choose regulated Chinese medicinal materials with intact roots and yellow-white cross-section. Discard if moldy, damp or off odor. Store in a dry place. Purchase labeled “Mao Dong Qing”; do not use equal weights of Dan Shen or Chuan Xiong to replace activating blood, unblocking vessels, clearing heat and detoxifying.

Related Products

Nong's Mao Dong Qing Concentrated GranulesNong's Mao Dong Qing (Pubescent Holly Root) Single Herb 5:1 Concentrated Granules $60.31 Hoi Tin Mao Dong Qing (Pubescent Holly Root) Single Herb 10:1 Concentrated Granules, 100 g TCM Herbal SupplementHoi Tin Mao Dong Qing (Pubescent Holly Root) Single Herb 10:1 Concentrated Granules $30.15

Medical Disclaimer — This article is provided for educational purposes only and describes traditional Chinese medicine concepts. It is not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using any herb, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a diagnosed condition.

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Mao Dong Qing (Pubescent Holly Root): Clears heat, resolves toxicity, invigorates blood, and unblocks the vessels