🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Voice is a fundamental condition for human verbal communication. It is especially important for professionals in singing, broadcasting, television, education, etc., who must carefully maintain it to produce good vocal quality.
The human speech organs generally consist of four parts.
1. Respiratory organs: composed of lungs and relevant respiratory muscles, serving as the power source for speech.
2. Vibratory organs: the larynx. Sound is produced by vibration of the vocal cords within the larynx, which plays a dominant role in speech production.
3. Resonance organs: mainly formed by the laryngeal cavity, pharyngeal cavity, oral cavity, and nasal cavity connected into a funnel-like passage, producing resonance. Additionally, the chest cavity and nasal cavity participate in resonance. Through resonance, sound waves are strengthened and amplified, beautifying the voice and giving it rich tonal color.
4. Articulation organs: composed of the mouth, tongue, soft palate, lips, and lower jaw, whose function is to make speech clear. In traditional Chinese medicine, the throat and pharynx are often mentioned together; they internally connect to internal organs and externally link to the mouth and nose. Any imbalance of internal organs or invasion by external pathogens can lead to abnormal voice. The lung is the gateway of voice, while the kidney is its root. Therefore, among internal organs, regulation of the lung and kidney is emphasized. When external pathogens invade the throat, symptoms commonly involve wind, cold, dryness, and heat; treatment should aim at dispelling wind, scattering cold, moistening dryness, and clearing heat.
[Formula One] 200 grams of radish, appropriate amount of maltose. Wash red-skinned radish, cut into fine threads, place in a bowl, mix with maltose, let sit for half an hour before eating. This formula clears heat, transforms phlegm, generates body fluids, moistens dryness, and benefits the throat. Particularly suitable for those with hoarseness due to phlegm-heat or dry-heat causing difficulty in speaking.
[Formula Two] 3–5 fresh olives, 100 grams of fresh radish. Split the olives open, slice the radish, put both into a pot, add water, and boil for 20–30 minutes. Strain and take the juice. If fresh ingredients are unavailable, dried olives may be used instead. Drink as tea. This formula clears the lungs, transforms phlegm, detoxifies, and relieves sore throat—ideal for throat swelling and hoarseness.
[Formula Three] 50 grams of fresh olive, 10 grams of sour plum, appropriate amount of sugar. Split the olive and sour plum, add water, simmer for 20 minutes, strain, take the juice, and sweeten with sugar. If fresh olives are not available, use 10 grams of dried ones. This formula clears heat and toxins, generates body fluids, moistens dryness, and benefits the throat and voice. Especially suitable for individuals with obvious heat symptoms such as severe throat swelling, thick phlegm, and unclear speech.
[Formula Four] 100 grams each of Ophiopogon japonicus (McDoor) and Prunus mume (Ume). Remove the hearts from Ophiopogon japonicus, dry them by baking, split the Prunus mume, remove the pits, take the flesh, lightly stir-fry, then grind both into powder, sieve, and store in a bottle. Take 10 grams each time, decoct with water, drink twice daily. This formula nourishes yin, moistens the lungs, clears heat, and generates body fluids. Suitable for those with deficiency of yin and internal heat rising, dry throat, tightness, irritability, and discomfort. Also beneficial as a preventive measure for chronic pharyngitis.
[Formula Five] 30 grams of dried winter greens. Wash the greens, place in a pot, add water, boil until tender. Add a few drops of sesame oil before serving. This formula nourishes yin, moistens the lungs, transforms phlegm, and regulates qi. Suitable for cough due to lung heat and sore throat with loss of voice.
[Formula Six] 500 grams of pork skin, 100 grams of flour, appropriate amount of honey. Clean the pork skin, cut into strips, place in a pot, add water, simmer for 1 hour, strain, add honey and flour, mix well, continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Consume twice daily, warm, divided into six portions. Originally used for symptoms of Shaoyin disease such as diarrhea, sore throat, and irritability. Pork skin has a sweet and cool nature, clears deficient heat, alleviates irritability, benefits the throat, and reduces swelling and pain; honey moistens dryness, detoxifies, and relieves spasms and pain; flour binds the intestines and stops diarrhea. Overall, this formula excels in clearing lung heat and moistening dryness. When lung qi descends properly and floating fire returns to its root, sore throat and irritability naturally subside. Later physicians have applied this formula to hoarseness with good results.
[Formula Seven] 2 sweet pomegranates. Peel the fresh pomegranate, mash the pulp, soak in hot water, filter to extract juice, drink the juice or use for rinsing; can also be consumed with meals. Pomegranate is the fruit of Punica granatum (Pomegranate family), with acidic and sweet varieties. Acidic type has a sour taste and warm nature, strong astringent effect, commonly used for diarrhea, chronic dysentery, menorrhagia, etc. Sweet variety has a sweet and sour taste, slightly astringent, warm nature, excels in generating body fluids, quenching thirst, moistening dryness, and benefiting the throat—"mainly treats throat dryness and thirst" (Mingyi Bie Lu). "Or sore throat pain and swelling, bleeding gums." Rock sugar has a neutral nature, tonifies the middle energizer, strengthens qi, harmonizes the stomach, moistens the lungs. Together, they achieve the effect of moistening the lungs and clearing the throat, particularly suitable for those with lung heat and hoarseness.
[Formula Thirteen] 3 pieces of Trichosanthes kirilowii (Fattened Sea Seed), 3 grams of raw licorice root, appropriate amount of rock sugar. Place all three in a ceramic cup, pour boiling water over them, steep for 20 minutes, then drink. Use as tea. Trichosanthes kirilowii is the seed of Sterculia lychnis (Malvaceae family), also known as "big sea seed." Mainly produced in Vietnam, India, and other regions; grown in Guangdong and Hainan provinces of China. Contains lactose, pentose, sucrose, saponins, tannins, etc. Animal experiments show analgesic effects. It has a sweet and bland taste, cool nature, excels in promoting lung Qi dispersion and relieving exterior blockage. Effective for wind pathogen closure regardless of cold or heat, and can open the voice, clear phlegm, and relieve cough—most commonly used health supplement for sore throat. In this formula, Trichosanthes kirilowii is the main ingredient, supplemented by raw licorice root and rock sugar. The former clears heat and toxins, reduces swelling, and relieves sore throat; the latter moistens the lungs, transforms phlegm, and stops cough. Combined, they form a formula that clears heat, moistens the lungs, detoxifies, and relieves sore throat. Regular consumption helps protect voice quality.
[Formula Fourteen] 1 Lo Han Guo (Luo Han Guo). Wash the Lo Han Guo, break into fragments, boil in water to extract juice, drink as tea; alternatively, place in a porcelain cup, pour boiling water over it, steep for 15–20 minutes, then drink as tea. Lo Han Guo is the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii (Cucurbitaceae family), distributed in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, etc. Has a refreshing sweetness, superior to licorice. Best when round, large, firm, no rattling sound when shaken, and yellow-brown in color. Main components of the pulp include glucose and other sweet substances. Traditional Chinese medicine considers Lo Han Guo sweet in taste, cold in nature, effective for clearing lung heat, relieving fever, moistening the throat, and stopping cough. Applicable for various throat diseases and hoarseness. Teachers, broadcasters, actors, etc., should consume regularly to moisturize the throat, relieve soreness, and protect their voice.
<Moistening the Throat>