🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Recently, do you hear coughing sounds in the office? When calling friends, is their voice hoarse or heavily nasal? Yes, these are all signs of colds. In recent weeks, outpatient visits for colds have increased by about 20%. Experts point out that after the Start of Winter (November 7), weather changes drastically, combined with influenza virus outbreaks, leading to a sharp rise in cold and flu cases. However, with proper measures, colds can be prevented to some extent, and post-cold discomfort can be alleviated.
TCM Medicines Must Be Symptom-Specific
Last week, seven people in the office had three fall ill with colds. The first person’s entire family was affected. Xiao Lu didn’t want to suffer like them—coughing uncontrollably and turning red-faced. So when she first felt throat itchiness and pain, she bought cold tea from a nearby herbal shop. After two days, she developed low-grade fever, headache, and diarrhea. Later, visiting the hospital, she learned her initial throat pain was actually due to wind-dryness type cold—requiring treatment to dispel wind and moisten dryness. But most street cold teas are clearing heat and removing dampness, which was exactly opposite to her condition—so the more she drank, the worse she became.
Professor Li says currently the climate is dry, and most colds this season are wind-dryness type. Besides general symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, and headache, they also present with sore throat, dry cough, and scanty phlegm. Doctors usually prescribe herbs to disperse wind and moisten dryness. Apart from wind-dryness type, other types include wind-heat, yin deficiency, and qi deficiency. Different types require different medications—refer to the following:
Multiple Prevention Methods for Colds
Professor Li introduces that during this high-incidence period, citizens should avoid crowded places to reduce infection risk. They should also take preventive measures at home or in offices. Proven effective methods include:
1. Medicinal:
a. Boil 30g each of Isatis root, large blue leaf, and Polygonum for drinking to prevent colds;
b. Soak 100g of Polygonum in 500–1000ml of boiling water and drink as tea.
2. Environmental:
Use vinegar to fumigate homes or offices for 10–15 minutes to kill airborne cold viruses.
3. Lifestyle:
a. Rinse mouth with salt water to eliminate cold viruses in the mouth and throat, preventing infection—ensure salt water reaches the throat area;
b. Soak feet in hot water for about 10 minutes to boost resistance to cold viruses.
Common Cold Types and Appropriate Medications
Colds are self-limiting diseases, typically resolving within 7 days. However, medication can significantly relieve discomfort. Most people self-medicate after catching a cold. To avoid mistakes like Xiao Lu’s, one must carefully distinguish cold types. Nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, and cough are general symptoms. Diagnosis relies on specific signs. Professor Li says although simple classification helps identify the cold type, consulting a specialist is best for more targeted prescriptions.
Wind-Heat Type:
Symptoms: fever, sweating, sore throat, yellow phlegm
Medication: Honeysuckle 20g, Forsythia 15g, Platycodon 12g, Reed Rhizome 20g, Licorice 6g
Wind-Dryness Type:
Symptoms: dry nose, dry throat, dry mouth, sore throat, dry cough, scanty phlegm
Medication: Add Mulberry Leaf 10–12g to the wind-heat formula
Yin Deficiency Type:
Symptoms: dizziness, irritability, minimal sweating, dry cough with little phlegm—common in those prone to frequent colds
Medication: Add Codonopsis 10–12g, Ophiopogon 15g, Artemisia 10g, White Peony 10g to the wind-heat formula