Kit Li
Although, the temperature in the afternoon soar to around 20c, while early morning still carry a chill with temperature dipping in single digits. This dramatic contrast between day and night temperatures, combined with the fluctuating humidity, often makes people more susceptible to colds and flu.
Recently, a couple of my patients have suffered from chronic coughs lasting more than six to nine months. Their symptoms include coughs with sputum stuck in the throat, fatigue, and frequent occurrences of wind-cold or wind-heat syndromes due to weakened immunity (Defensive-qi).
From a TCM perspective, wind-cold and wind-heat are two distinct pathologies. Both are considered evil-qi that attack the superficial levels of the body.
1) Wind-cold: Invasion by Wind and Cold, the nature is Yin pathogenic factors and leads to Cold constraining the body:
- Symptoms: Mild fever or chills, but chills is more than fever; has a strong feelings of aversion to cold or wind; no sweating or slightly;
- Coughs with thin and white sputum; with clear and watery nasal discharge;
- Tongue is thin with white coating.
2) Wind-heat: Invasion by Wind and Heat, the nature is Yang pathogenic factors and results in Heat agitates:
- Symptoms: More pronounced fever, but fever is more than chills; has a mild to moderate feelings of aversion to cold or wind; sweating present;
- Coughs with thick and yellow sputum; with yellow and thick nasal discharge and sore throat;
- Tongue is thin with yellow coating, also red tip.
If we do not treat these symptoms promptly, the evil-qi can penetrate deeper, from the Superficial level into the Qi level, then the Nutritive level, and ultimately the Blood level. This can lead to chronic conditions and impair internal organs function.
To prevent evil-qi from reaching the Qi level, promoting and strengthening Qi is essential. I prescribe Jade Screen + (modified Yu Ping Feng San) for both conditions or combine it with Qing Fei Tang in Wind-heat syndromes, particularly when clearing yellow and sticky phlegm is necessary, as well as acupuncture treatments.
Yu Ping Feng San (Classic Herbal Formula) : Huang Qi (黄芪)* - Astragalus Root, Bai Zhu (白术) - Atractylodes Rhizome (White), Fang Feng (防风) - Siler Root
Qing Fei Tang : Huang Qin (黄芩)* - Scutellaria baicalensis, Sang Bai Pi (桑白皮)* - The root bark of Morus alba, Xing Ren (杏仁) - The seed of Prunus armeniaca....etc.
In general, after a week of treatment with these two modified formulas, the phlegm is resolved, coughing is relieved, and sleep quality improves.
References:
Huang Qi (黄芪) :
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6463872/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28830214/
Huang Qin (黄芩) :
Huang Qin contains several active flavonoids, including baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin, which contribute to its pharmacological effects:
- Baicalin: Exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anxiolytic properties.
- Baicalein: Known for its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects.
- Wogonin: Demonstrates anxiolytic and anti-tumor activities.
Sang Bai Pi (桑白皮）have been used to treat conditions characterized by Lung Heat and phlegm accumulation. These formulations aim to clear heat, resolve phlegm, and restore normal lung function.
For the prevention of Covid 19 with modified Yu Ping Feng San
https://chinesemedicinesalon.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-to-prevent-variant-virus.html
Yu Ping Feng San （玉屏风散） is considered the best immune tonic herb in stabilizing and strengthening the protective “Qi”.
