Home | News | TCM | Reflexology | Acupuncture | Taiji | Qigong | Herbal Tea | Sino-western Joint | Products | Cases | Academic Exchange | Prevention | Activities | Forum | Community | Blog | About Us | Site Map
Common cold is also known as "upper respiratory tract infection"; TCM holds that it results from exopathogens attacking the body. When having a cold, one can be treated with proper medicated diet according to the differentiation of syndromes so as to shorten the course of disease.
1. Common Types of Syndromes
1) Wind-Cold Type Manifested mainly as strong aversion to cold, slight fever without sweating, headache, stuffy nose, watery nasal discharge, itching of the throat, cough, expectoration of thin and white sputum, non-thirst or thirst and desire for hot drink, aching pain of limbs, thin and white fur, floating pulse or floating and tense pulse.
2) Wind-Heat Type Manifested as higher fever, light aversion to wind, slow sweat, distending pain in the head, stuffy nose, yellow and turbid nasal discharge, red-swollen and sore throat, or dry mouth and throat, thirst and strong desire for drink, cough, sticky or yellow phlegm, red margin and tip of the tongue with thin and white fur or light yellowish fur, floating and rapid pulse.
3) Summer-Heat and Dampness Type Manifested as catching cold in summer, marked by fever, light aversion to wind, absence of sweating or slight sweat, heaviness and distending pain in the head, vexation, thirst, heaviness sensation and aching pain of limbs, ropy and greasy mouth, thirst but drink little, oppressed sensation in the chest, nausea, oliguria with yellowish urine, thin and yellow fur or yellow and greasy fur, soft and floating and rapid pulse.
2. Dietetic Chinese Drugs
1) Fresh ginger (Rhizoma gingiberis Recens) Slight warm in nature and able to induce diaphoresis to dispel wind and cold pathogens to a certain degree, it is applicable to common cold of wind-cold type.
2) Chinese green onion (Bulbus Allii Fistulosi) Dispelling wind and cold and inducing diaphoresis to relieve exterior syndrome, it is used to treat light common cold of wind-cold type, and often taken along with prepared soybean (Semen Sojae Praeparatum).
3) Prepared soybean (Semen Sojae Praeparatum) A product made from soybean. It can not only dispel pathogenic factor attacking the exterior of the body but also stagnant heat. Common cold of either wind-cold type or wind-heat type can be treated with it.
4) Chrysenthemum flower (Flos Chrysanthemi) Dispelling wind-heat, it is used to treat common cold of wind-heat type. Of all kinds of chrysanthemum flowers, the yellow one is most effective, and is often used as an ingredient of medicated gruel or medicated tea.
3. Composite Medicated Diet
1) Ginger and Sugar Tea (Jiang Tang Cha)
INGREDIENTS
Clean shredded fresh ginger, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens 9g
brown sugar 12g
PROCESS Infuse them in boiling water.
DIRECTIONS To be taken warm at a time. After taking it, one should lie in bed until he or she perspires a bit. It is applicable to common cold of wind-cold type.
2) Decoction of Chinese Green Onion, Prepared Soybean and Yellow Wine (Cong Chi Huangjiu Tang)
INGREDIENTS
Chinese green onion, Bulbus Allii Fistulosi (with hairs) 30g
prepared soybean, Semen Sojae Praeparatum 15g
yellow rice or millet wine 50g
PROCESS First decoct the prepared soybean for 10 minutes; then put in the cut-up Chinese green onion with hairs and go on decocting for 5 minutes more; and finally sift the decoction from the dregs and pour in the wine.
DIRECTIONS To be taken warm, twice a day. It is applicable to common cold of wind-cold type.
3) Five-Ingredient Decoction (Wu Shen Tang)
INGREDIENTS
schizonepeta, Herba Schizonepetae 9g
clean perila leaf, Folium Perillae 9g
tea leaves, Folium Camelliae Sinensis 6g
fresh gluer, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens 9g
brown sugar 30g
PROCESS Decoct the first four ingredients and sift the liquid from the dregs; then put in the brown sugar and stir it to have it dissolved.
DIRECTIONS To be taken in several separate doses on the same day. It is applicable to common cold of wind-cold type.
4) Gruel of Fresh Ginger and Glutinous Rice (Shenxian Zhou)
INGREDIENTS
fresh giner, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens 6g
clean polished glutinous rice, Semen Oryzae Glutinosae 100g
Chinese green onion, Bulbus Allii Fistulosi (with hairs) 30g
millet vinegar 10ml
PROCESS Cook the fresh ginger and the rice until they come to one or two boils, then put in the Chinese green onion which has been washed clean and cut up and go on cooking; finally when the gruel is nearly done, pour in the millet vinegar and cook for a while.
DIRECTIONS To be taken hot. After taking it, one should lie in bed until he or she perspires a bit. Applicable to common cold of wind-cold type.
5) Schizonepeta Gruel (ffingjie Zhou)
INGREDIENTS
schizonepeta, Herba Schizonepetae 9g
peppermint, Herba Menthae 3g
prepared soybean, Semen Sojae Praeparatum 9g
polished round-grained rice, Semen Oryzae Sativae 100g
PROCESS Decoet the first three ingredients and sift the decoction from the dregs five minutes after they begin boil-ing; then make gruel with the decoction and the rice. It will be done in a few minutes.
DIRECTIOI4S To be taken warm, twice a day. It is applicable to common cold of wind-cold type.
6) Tea of Chrysanthemum Flower and Reed Rhizome (fuhua Lugen Cha)
INGREDIENTS
chrysanthemum flower, Flos Chrysanthemi 6g
reed rhizome, Rhizoma Phragmitis 21g
(double it if the fresh is used)
PROCESS Decoct them or infuse them in boiling water.
DIRECTIONS To be taken as a drink. Applicable to common cold of wind-heat type.
7) Drink of Mulberry Leaf, Chrysanthemum Flower, Pep-permint and Prepared Soybean (Sang flu Bo Chi Tin)
INGREDIENTS
mulberry leaf, Folium Mori 9g
chrysanthemum flower, Flos Chrysanthemi 9g
peppermint, Herba Menthae 6g
prepared soybean, Semen Sojae Praeparatum 6g
reed rhizome, Rhizoma Phragmitis 15g
(double the amount if fresh)
PROCESS Decoct them in water for oral administration. Or infuse them for drinking instead of tea.
DIRECTIONS The decoction is to be taken several times each day. It is applicable to common cold of wind-heat type.
8) Gruel of Peppermint and Chrysanthemum Flower (Bo yu Zhou)
INGREDIENTS
peppermint, Herba Menthae 9g
chrysanthemum flower, Flos Chrysanthemi 9g
mulberry leaf, Folium Mori 6g
lophatherum, Herba Lophatheri 6g
polished round-grained rice, Semen Oryzae Sativae 100g
PROCESS Decoct the first four ingredients in water and strain the dregs out of the decoction after they have been boiling for five minutes; then put the rice into the decoction to make gruel. In a few minutes the gruel will be done.
DIRECTIONS To be taken twice each day. The gruel is applicable to common cold of wind-heat type.
9) Gruel of Job's Tears Seed and Hyacinth Bean (Yimi Biandou Zhou)
INGREDIENTS
job's tears seed, Semen Coicis 30g
white hyacinth bean, Semen Dolichoris Album 30g
polished round-grained rice, Semen Oryzae Sativae 100g
PROCESS Make gruel with the three ingredients.
DIRECTIONS To be taken twice a day. Applicable to patients with common cold of summer-heat and dampness type.
10) Wrinkled Giant-Hyssop Drink (Huoxiang Dai Cha Yin)
INGREDIENTS
fresh leaves of wrinkled giant-hyssop, Folium Pogostemonis
seu Agastachis 12g (reduce it to 6g if the dried is used)
fresh lotus leaf, Flium Nelumbinis 12g
(6g if dried)
white sugar right amount
PROCESS Decoct them inwater or infuse them in boiling water.
DIRECTIONS To be taken as a drink. It is applicable to those suffering from common cold of summer-heat and damp-ness type.
11) Tea of Elscholtzia and Hyacinth Bean (Xiangru Biandou Cha)
INGREDIENTS
elscholtzia, Herba Elsholtziae 9g
white hyacinth bean, Semen Dolichoris Album (parched
yellow and pounded) 12g
tangerine peel, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae 3g
lotus leaf, Folium Nelumbinis 6g
white sugar right amount
PROCESS Decoct them in water or infuse them in boiling water.
DIRECTIONS To be taken as a drink. Applicable to those suffering from common cold of summer-heat and damp-ness type.
Too complex to take these treatments?
More easy way: Foot therapy
http://www.tcmadvisory.com/2007/1-23/200712314350.html
