🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Chronic bronchitis is characterized primarily by cough, sputum production, or accompanied by wheezing and recurrent episodes. Some cases develop from unresolved acute bronchitis, while most have insidious onset. Major causes include bacterial infection, irritant fumes, dust, air pollution, cold stimulation, and allergens such as pollen. Smokers have a 2–8 times higher incidence than non-smokers, with longer smoking duration and higher intake correlating with increased risk. This condition predominantly affects middle-aged and elderly people, more common in males than females. Progression is slow; severe cases may lead to obstructive emphysema or even chronic primary heart disease, making it a common and serious threat to health. Main preventive and therapeutic measures include:
1) Dietary Therapy: ① Loquat Leaf Porridge: 10–15g loquat leaf, 50g rice, appropriate rock sugar. Wrap loquat leaf in cloth, decoct with water, filter out residue, collect concentrated juice, then add rice and water to cook porridge. Add rock sugar just before serving, consume twice daily with meals. Suitable for phlegm-heat syndrome. ② Wo Xue Decoction: 45g yam, 12g burdock root, 18g persimmon frost cake. First boil yam and burdock root, extract soup, then add persimmon frost cake and dissolve. Consume twice daily. Suitable for lung-spleen yin deficiency syndrome. ③ Jellyfish and Water Chestnut Soup: 250g jellyfish, 500g water chestnuts, decoct into soup, divide and drink twice daily. Suitable for phlegm-heat syndrome. ④ 15g angelica root, 15g ginger (wrapped), 50g yam, 100g lamb. Place in earthenware pot, add sufficient water, cook until tender. Season with a little salt. Eat meat and drink soup, take continuously for 5–7 days. Suitable for lung-spleen deficiency-cold syndrome. ⑤ 6g bird’s nest, 9g silver ear fungus, 15g rock sugar. Soak bird’s nest and silver ear fungus in clean water, wash thoroughly, place with rock sugar, steam over water until fully cooked. Consume 2–3 times per week for four weeks. Suitable for lung-spleen-kidney yin deficiency syndrome. ⑥ 500g radish cut into chunks, 15g bitter apricot kernel (skin and tip removed), 250g pig lung. Wash pig lung, blanch once in boiling water, then place together in earthenware pot and cook until pig lung is tender. Season with appropriate salt. Eat lung and drink soup, twice weekly. Suitable for lung deficiency with turbid phlegm syndrome.
2) Single-Ingredient Remedies: ① Unrestricted quantity of Stemonae Radix, crush into juice, concentrate into syrup-like consistency. Take 3g each time with warm water, three times daily. Suitable for phlegm-damp syndrome. ② One autumn white pear, 3g Chuan Bei powder. Hollow out pear core, fill with Chuan Bei powder, steam with water, consume entire contents including liquid in one dose. Suitable for yin deficiency with phlegm-heat syndrome. ③ 12g Cortex Mori Albi, 12g loquat leaf, 12g Ficus carica leaf. Decoct in water, take one dose daily. Suitable for phlegm-heat syndrome. ④ 6g gardenia, 6g apricot kernel, 6g peach kernel, 7 grains each of white pepper and glutinous rice. Grind into powder. Mix with one egg, apply to the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of feet (left foot for men, right foot for women). Replace daily.
3) Acupuncture Therapy: Body acupuncture: main points—Fei Shu (BL13), Da Zhu (GB14), Feng Men (BL12). For excessive phlegm, add Ban Men (CV17), Zu San Li (ST36), Pi Shu (BL20), Wei Shu (BL21); for severe cough, add Lie Que (LU7), Chi Ze (LU5); for severe wheezing, add Tian Tu (CV22), Ding Chuan (EX-B1). Combine acupuncture and moxibustion. Use balanced tonification and sedation techniques; retain needles for 10–15 minutes. Moxibustion: 3–5 moxa cones per point, once daily.
Ear acupuncture: select Lung, Trachea, Shen Men. For concurrent wheezing, add Jiao Gan (Sympathetic), Shen Xian (Adrenal Gland). Use moderate stimulation with filiform needle, retain for 30 minutes or intermittently, once daily or every other day. Alternatively, use press needle retention for 2 days, or apply Vaccaria seeds (or mustard seeds) to one ear acupoint, instruct patient to press the site periodically to enhance stimulation. Change to opposite ear every 3 days, alternating sides.
4) Qigong Therapy: Focus on internal nourishing exercises, supplemented with Qigong breathing exercises (also known as Chronic Bronchitis Exercise). Other options include Six Sounds, Baoyang Gong, and Eight Brocades. Beginners start with lying position, gradually progressing to sitting or standing based on condition and constitution. Once mental focus is achieved and calmness induced, concentrate on Dan Tian (lower abdomen). Do not restrict focus area too narrowly or apply excessive intensity. Some female patients may experience menstrual disruption from focusing on Dan Tian; shift focus to Tan Zhong (upper chest). For those prone to tension or excessive thoughts, or uncomfortable with closed-eye concentration, switch to focusing on toes. Additionally, Taiji Qigong methods help suppress cough and expel phlegm; combined with internal nourishing exercises, significantly improve efficacy. Key movements include shaking hands to stretch chest, finger washing lung meridian, swinging sleeves toward Zhongfu point, opening and closing lung lobes, calming mind and relaxing muscles, regulating breath and nourishing Dan Tian, floating sea to retrieve moon, and rinsing saliva to transform body fluids.
5) Prevention and Care: ① Timely treatment of colds is crucial to prevent disease progression. Patients must adopt good habits, engage in regular physical exercise, improve nutrition, pay attention to weather changes, and keep warm—especially protecting the back. Minimize contact with cold sufferers (avoid public places during flu season; isolate sick household members). Use dietary regulation, vinegar fumigation, oral medication, or cold baths for prevention. If infection occurs, treat promptly and control quickly. ② Educate patients about smoking as a major factor worsening this condition, helping them quit decisively. Use nicotine gum, smoking cessation tea, or acupuncture if necessary. ③ Advise patients to maintain clean environment, avoid highly polluted areas, prevent dust irritation, and avoid allergens. Evidence shows that besides meteorological factors and smoking, air pollution and certain allergens are also key contributors to this disease.
【Bronchitis】