🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Redness and pain in the throat are common acute conditions in otolaryngology, usually caused by viral infection, bacterial infection, or environmental irritants. Bacteria and viruses typically spread via droplets or close contact, while environmental factors mainly include high temperature, dust, smoke, and irritating gases. The onset is sudden, starting with dryness, burning sensation, and foreign body feeling in the throat, followed by significant sore throat—often worse during swallowing than eating. Sometimes pain radiates to the ears. General symptoms are usually mild, but vary in severity depending on age, immunity, and virulence of pathogens, possibly including fever, headache, loss of appetite, or limb pain. If such symptoms occur, timely medical consultation and treatment are essential to prevent complications such as otitis media, sinusitis, or acute upper/lower respiratory tract inflammation. Without complications, recovery typically occurs within one week.
TCM treatment for acute pharyngitis requires differentiation based on syndrome patterns and individualized therapy. 1. Wind-Cold Invasion: Treat by dispersing wind and cold, promoting lung function and relieving throat obstruction. Common herbs: Schizonepeta, Saposhnikovia, Mentha, Bombyx Batryticatus, Platycodon. 2. Wind-Heat Invasion: Treat by dispersing wind and clearing heat, relieving throat swelling and pain. Common herbs: Honeysuckle, Forsythia, Arctium, Schizonepeta, Bamboo Leaves. 3. Excess Heat in Lung and Stomach: Treat by clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving throat obstruction. Common herbs: Scutellaria, Coptis, Radix Sophorae Tonkinensis, Bezoar, Belamcanda, Trichosanthes. Additionally, compound Four Seasons Green Tablets (a TCM patent medicine) have effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving sore throat, showing synergistic efficacy against both viruses and bacteria. Other treatments include herbal gargling, lozenges, and topical application.
To prevent acute pharyngitis, avoid excessive consumption of spicy, grilled, or fried foods; increase intake of vegetables and fruits; quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption; actively treat colds and prevent adjacent organ diseases such as rhinitis and tonsillitis; improve environment by reducing air pollution and enhancing personal hygiene protection.