🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Summer heat in children is a unique disease in infants and young children, also known as "heat syndrome." Main symptoms include prolonged fever, excessive thirst, frequent urination, absence or minimal sweating. Commonly used folk remedies and effective prescriptions for pediatric summer heat are as follows. [Formula I] 500g each of polygonatum and rock sugar. Wash polygonatum, slice, decoct twice, combine decoctions, concentrate. Crush rock sugar, dissolve part of the concentrated polygonatum juice, filter through fine sieve (60–80 mesh), remove impurities, gently heat over low flame for half an hour until it becomes a flowing paste. Take 20–30g each time, 2–3 times daily. This formula applies to pediatric summer heat caused by summer-heat injuring the lung and stomach. [Formula II] One fresh lotus leaf, 500g fresh winter melon, a little salt. Wash lotus leaf, chop, wash winter melon, cut into slices, boil together with 1000ml water. Discard lotus leaf, add salt for seasoning. One dose daily, divide into two portions, eat melon and drink soup. This formula applies to pediatric summer heat due to summer-heat injuring the lung and stomach. [Formula III] 15g white cowpea, 30g red adzuki bean, 15g yam, 15g bauhinia flower, 30g coix seed, half a fresh lotus leaf, a few strands of rush grass. Simmer slowly until beans are thoroughly cooked. This formula treats pediatric summer heat due to damp-heat injuring the spleen. [Formula IV] 300g each of sweet wormwood, mint leaves, lotus leaf, agastache, 90g licorice. Chop first four ingredients, lightly stir-fry over low heat, crush licorice into coarse pieces, mix with above herbs, sieve through No. 1–2 sieve, pack into 13g packets. Boil in hot water, one packet per dose, twice daily. This formula treats pediatric summer heat due to damp-heat injuring the spleen. [Formula V] 20 each of silkworm cocoon and jujube. Decoct into tea, drink as beverage. This formula treats pediatric summer heat due to deficiency below and excess above. [Formula VI] 10–29g of goat's ear herb, 10–15g mulberry fruit, 6–15g astragalus, 6–10g kudzu root, 6–10g ophiopogon. Decoct and take daily, four times daily. This formula treats pediatric summer heat due to both qi and yin deficiency, a prescription by Tang Dongxiu. [Formula VII] 3g each of sweet wormwood, coptis, 5g honeysuckle, 3g each of cowpea flower, bamboo leaf, lotus leaf, 5g watermelon green rind, 3g loofah network, 5g Yi Yuan San, 10g fresh small green (Acanthus), 10g five-leaf lotus (Hedyotis). Decoct and take daily, three times daily. This formula by Zhang Zhifang treats high fever in children during summer.<Summer Heat>