🌿 Folk Prescriptions

1 Main symptoms and treatments for acute and chronic pharyngitis:
Symptoms: Acute onset features dryness, burning sensation, pain in the throat, worsened during swallowing; severe cases may present fever, headache, poor appetite, and limb soreness.
Chronic onset includes foreign body sensation, itching, burning, dryness, mild pain in the throat, variable secretions that are thick and often trigger irritative cough. Forceful clearing of secretions upon waking may cause nausea. A feeling of obstruction when swallowing, neck tightness. Intermittent fixed pain in the throat, sometimes described as leaf-like, crawling, itchy, stick-like, or mucus-ball sensations moving up and down in the throat. Accompanied by mental depression, suspicion, gasping, insomnia.
Treatment:
(1) No specific Western medicine treatment available.
(2) Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment: First choice is blowing throat powder locally twice daily.
(3) Oral herbal medicine:
a: Cooling blood, activating blood circulation, clearing throat and relieving voice
Formula One for Pharyngitis (Scrophularia, Raw Rehmannia, Red Peony Root, Anemarrhena, Astragalus, Manchurian Wild Ginger, Fritillary Bulb), over twenty herbs.
b: Soothing liver, harmonizing stomach, clearing and draining throat
Formula Two for Pharyngitis (White Atractylodes, Poria, Tangerine Peel, Pinellia, Perilla, Manchurian Wild Ginger, Fritillary Bulb), over twenty herbs. Suitable for patients with foreign body sensation in the throat—mild cases feel like a lump of phlegm or small leaves, severe cases feel like phlegm blocking the throat without pain but occasional tightness, normal swallowing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, even epigastric fullness, dry throat at night, thin white coating on the tongue.
c: Acupuncture or radiofrequency therapy.
d: Prevention and physical exercise.
Pay attention to clothing, diet, sleep habits; enhance resistance; quit smoking and drinking; avoid spicy food; moderate sexual activity; limit cold drinks; avoid dust.
Treat nasal, pharyngeal, dental caries, chronic tonsillitis; maintain daily bowel movement once a day. Good prevention for this condition.
2 Acute Laryngitis:
This is one of the common acute respiratory tract infections, an acute inflammation of the laryngeal mucosa. Often follows acute rhinitis or acute pharyngitis. Higher incidence in males; in children, the condition tends to be more severe. Commonly occurs in winter and spring.
Etiology:
Infection: Generally believed to follow wind-cold exposure. Initial viral invasion followed by secondary bacterial infection. Common bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus hemolyticus, Diplococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis.
Occupational factors: Excessive inhalation of industrial dust or harmful gases (e.g., chlorine, ammonia, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, toxic fumes, smoke) can also induce acute inflammation of the laryngeal mucosa. Teachers, actors, ticket sellers, etc., who use their voices frequently, have higher incidence if voice misuse or excessive vocal strain occurs.
Trauma: Foreign bodies or injury from examination instruments damaging the laryngeal mucosa may lead to secondary acute laryngitis.
Excessive smoking and drinking, catching cold, fatigue weakening the body’s resistance can easily trigger this disease.
Clinical Presentation: Acute laryngitis usually follows upper respiratory tract infection, or may result from downward spread from acute rhinitis or pharyngitis. Thus, inflammatory symptoms of nose and pharynx are commonly present. Initial symptoms include fever, chills, and general malaise.
Dysphonia: The main symptom of acute laryngitis. Mild cases show loss of smoothness and clarity in voice, lower pitch, coarser tone; severe cases exhibit hoarseness, extreme cases only able to whisper, even complete aphonia.
Laryngeal pain: Patients feel discomfort, dryness, foreign body sensation in the throat, pain in the throat and anterior trachea. Pain worsens during speaking but does not affect swallowing.
Cough with sputum: Increased secretion due to inflamed laryngeal mucosa leads to coughing. Initially dry cough, later becomes sticky purulent secretion. Due to thick consistency, difficult to expectorate, adheres to vocal cords worsening hoarseness.
Examination:
Indirect laryngoscopy shows diffuse congestion and swelling of the laryngeal mucosa, redness of the vocal cords, sometimes submucosal hemorrhage visible. Vocal cords appear thickened due to swelling, narrow at ends forming spindle shape. During phonation, they fail to close tightly, often covered with thick secretions. The false vocal cords and aryepiglottic folds may also show significant congestion and swelling.
Treatment:
Blowing Throat Powder: Directly sprayed onto vocal cords and affected areas, twice daily. Functions: Removes necrotic tissue, promotes granulation, anti-inflammatory, relieves pain, activates blood circulation, removes stasis, unblocks meridians, consolidates sores, expels pus, transforms phlegm, softens hardness, regulates qi, disperses nodules, calms mind, stops cough, resolves phlegm, clears heat, detoxifies. Remove irritants: Quit smoking and drinking. Allow vocal rest, reduce speaking, avoid shouting loudly, correct speaking technique. Actively treat rhinosinusitis and lower respiratory tract infections to keep airways clear and minimize irritation from adjacent organ secretions.
3 Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Mouth Ulcers:
Mouth ulcers refer to sores inside the mouth, also known as oral ulcers. Lesions have red edges and yellow-green ulcerated centers, causing severe pain, excessive salivation, often accompanied by bad breath, dry mouth, dark urine, constipation. Mild cases involve one or two ulcers; severe cases may extend throughout the oral cavity, even causing fever and systemic discomfort.
TCM believes the etiology of oral ulcers is complex, associated with low immune function, endocrine imbalance, genetic factors, excessive mental stress, fatigue, etc. Once the cause is identified, targeted treatment yields certain efficacy. Recurrent oral ulcers in TCM are categorized as follows:
I. Blood Deficiency Type Oral Ulcers: Commonly occur on lips, root of tongue, and cheeks. Ulcers appear gray-white, with slight surrounding redness. They recur continuously, healing in one area while new ones appear elsewhere. Healing leaves no trace. Accompanied by severe pain at ulcer site, headache radiating to eyebrow ridge, increased menstrual flow, fatigue, palpitations, restless sleep—due to blood deficiency, especially exacerbated during menstruation, leading to insufficient nourishment of brain and head causing headache. Through syndrome differentiation and individualized herbal treatment, cure is possible.
II. Liver Fire Hyperactivity Type Oral Ulcers: Commonly occur on lips, gums, tip of tongue, and cheeks. Ulcers appear yellow-white with red swollen margins. Multiple ulcers may merge into patches. Severe pain accompanies symptoms such as headache at top of head, dizziness, blurred vision, irritability, bitter taste in mouth. Caused by inherent hyperactive liver yang, with yin blood descending during menstruation, resulting in yin deficiency unable to restrain liver fire, thus causing headache and oral ulcers. Daily care should focus on reducing liver fire; Longdan Xiegan Tang (Dragon's Liver Draining Decoction) proves effective.
III. Blood Stasis Type Oral Ulcers: Ulcer color appears pale gray-white, characterized by rapid progression and slow healing. In women, sudden appearance of several ulcers often occurs before or during menstruation. Local pain is intense, headache location remains fixed. Menstrual blood appears dark purple with clots. If untreated long-term, condition may worsen. In preventing oral ulcers during menstruation, maintain cheerful mood, balance work and rest, adhere to prescribed medication course, avoid over-fatigue, eat light diet, increase intake of fruits and fresh vegetables, drink plenty of water. Avoid spicy, pungent, stimulating foods during treatment.
Some recurrent ulcers relate to gastrointestinal dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, reduced immunity, poor oral hygiene, or psychological factors. Comprehensive measures are recommended. Besides topical and internal medications, pay attention to oral hygiene, maintain good mood, avoid overwork, drink plenty of water, eat fresh vegetables and fruits, prefer light, easily digestible diet, avoid spicy and irritating foods.
Treatment:
Local application of Blowing Throat Powder
Oral herbal medicine: Heat-clearing and toxin-resolving herbs.
4 Vocal Cord Nodules:
Also called singer’s nodules, a type of chronic laryngitis caused by inflammatory transformation. Etiology: Usually due to prolonged or improper voice use. Common in teachers teaching large classes, high-pitched singers exceeding natural vocal range. Lesions typically located at the midpoint of the vocal cord membrane—the point where high notes vibrate. Initially presents as submucosal small hematoma, later undergoes organization and gradually develops into nodules.
Clinical Manifestations: Early stage features cracking when singing high notes ("fuzzy" sound), easy vocal fatigue, inability to sustain voice. Low tones remain unchanged initially, then progressively worsen—multiple notes crack (gritty), noticeable breathiness (hoarse). Hoarseness evolves from intermittent to persistent.
Examination: Laryngoscopy reveals symmetric bulges at the junction of the anterior and middle third of the free edge of both vocal cords. Early stage resembles soft, red polypoid changes with edema. In long-standing cases, appears as pale, small, semi-transparent protrusions, smooth surface, few small vessels visible at base. During phonation, both nodules touch, impairing vocal cord closure.
5 Laryngeal Polyps:
Commonly occur at the anterior-middle third margin of one vocal cord, known as vocal cord polyps.
Etiology: Long-term improper voice use, or following a single intense vocalization. May also develop after upper respiratory tract infection—a chronic laryngeal lesion.
Pathology: Initially, fluid accumulates in the potential space beneath the epithelium of the vocal cord membrane, causing local edema, vascular dilation, and bleeding. Gradually progresses to pale, edematous, semi-transparent glass-like degeneration or fibrous proliferation, forming oval or round vocal cord polyps. Classified into localized and broad-based types.
Clinical Manifestations: Primarily hoarseness, severity depending on size and type. Small localized polyps cause minor voice changes; broad-based polyps cause more severe hoarseness, low, monotonous tone, inability to sing, even aphonia. Large polyps may cause stridor and breathing difficulty.
Examination: Laryngoscopy shows localized vocal cord polyps mostly on the anterior-middle third of one vocal cord, small base with stalk, semi-transparent pink, pale red, or yellowish-white round or oval masses growing from the vocal cord edge, capable of moving up and down with respiration. Sometimes suspended below the glottis, visible only during expiration. Broad-based type shows wide-based, semi-transparent gray-white or pale red mass, usually unilateral, bilateral occurrence rare.
6 Chronic Tonsillitis:
Chronic tonsillitis often results from repeated episodes of acute tonsillitis or due to poor drainage in crypts allowing bacteria and viruses to proliferate, evolving into chronic inflammation. Following acute infectious diseases (e.g., scarlet fever, measles, influenza, diphtheria), chronic lesions may develop. Nasal and sinus infections may also accompany this condition. The pathogenesis remains unclear, but two prevailing theories exist:
(I) Repeated acute episodes weaken the body’s resistance, i.e., decreased immune response, leading to chronic lesions.
(II) Autoallergic reaction occurs.
Clinical Features: Characterized by history of recurrent acute episodes, with minimal symptoms during remission. Patients may complain of dryness, itching, foreign body sensation, irritative cough, halitosis in the throat. If tonsils are excessively enlarged, breathing, swallowing, or speech resonance may be impaired. Chronic swallowing of inflammatory secretions may stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, or absorption of bacteria and toxins from crypts may cause systemic reactions, leading to indigestion, headaches, fatigue, low-grade fever. Examination: Chronic congestion of tonsils and palatoglossal arches; yellowish-white cheesy particles visible at crypt openings—sometimes requiring pressure with a tongue depressor to expel from crypts. Tonsil size varies; children and young adults often show hyperplasia and enlargement; adult tonsils usually shrink but show scars, uneven surfaces, adhesions with surrounding tissues. Enlarged lymph nodes under mandibular angle.
Complications: Bacteria and toxins from tonsillar crypts may trigger allergic reactions, leading to various complications such as rheumatic arthritis, rheumatic fever, heart disease, nephritis, chronic low-grade fever. Therefore, chronic tonsillitis is often considered one of the "foci" of systemic infection. However, the exact mechanism linking these foci to systemic diseases remains unclear.
Treatment: Traditional Chinese Medicine and herbs
(I) Blow Throat Powder directly onto tonsillar lesions, twice daily
(II) Acupuncture for abscess drainage
(III) Oral herbal medicine
(1) Wind-Heat Type: Dispersing wind, clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling
(2) Phlegm-Heat Type: Clearing heat, promoting lung function, transforming phlegm, relieving throat
7 Acute Tonsillitis:
An acute non-specific inflammation of the palatine tonsils, often accompanied by varying degrees and extents of acute pharyngitis. A very common pharyngeal disease, known in TCM as "Ruo E." Acute tonsillitis is referred to as "Lan Ru E" or "Hou E Feng." Common in children and young adults, prone to occur during seasonal transitions and temperature changes. Etiology: Exposure to cold, dampness, overwork, excessive smoking/drinking, harmful gas stimulation, or presence of chronic foci in upper respiratory tract.
Clinical Presentation: Divided into two types
(I) Acute Catarrhal Tonsillitis: Milder lesion, inflammation limited to surface mucosa, no obvious changes in crypts or tonsillar parenchyma. Symptoms similar to general acute pharyngitis: sore throat, low-grade fever, mild systemic symptoms. Examination shows redness and swelling of tonsils and palatoglossal arch mucosa, no significant tonsillar enlargement, no exudates on surface.
(II) Acute Suppurative Tonsillitis: Inflammation starts in crypts, spreads into tonsillar parenchyma, causing marked tonsillar swelling. Severe cases may develop multiple small abscesses. Crypts filled with exudate composed of shed epithelium, fibrin, pus cells, bacteria, discharged from crypt openings. Onset is abrupt, with severe local and systemic symptoms: severe sore throat, difficulty swallowing, pain radiating to ear, enlarged submandibular lymph nodes, sometimes restricted head movement. Systemic symptoms include chills, high fever; infants may experience convulsions, vomiting, or somnolence. Examination reveals enlarged tonsils with surrounding congestion, yellow-white pus points at crypt openings. Pus points may connect into pseudomembranes, but do not exceed tonsillar boundaries, easily wiped off without bleeding. If suppurative changes exist within tonsillar parenchyma, yellow-white elevations may be seen on surface.
Treatment: Traditional Chinese Medicine and herbs
(I) Blow Throat Powder directly onto tonsillar lesions, twice daily
(II) Acupuncture for abscess drainage
(III) Oral herbal medicine
(1) Wind-Heat Type: Dispersing wind, clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling
(2) Phlegm-Heat Type: Clearing heat, promoting lung function, transforming phlegm, relieving throat<口疮>