Editor’s Note: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), common colds are categorized into three types: Wind-Cold, Wind-Heat, and Dampness. Today, we will discuss Wind-Cold common cold. I hope everyone reads this carefully and reflects on their own experiences with colds for verification. If you have any questions or do not understand something, feel free to leave a message.
Mechanism of Wind-Cold Common Cold
Wind-Cold common cold refers to the body’s imbalance caused by the invasion of Cold Evil. Cold Evil is everything that makes the body feel cold.
What changes occur in the body when it encounters Cold Evil? Generally, the organs that are affected by Cold Evil will contract tightly, and severe contraction can lead to spasms and pain.
We all have the experience that when we step outside and a sudden cold wind blows, we get goosebumps, our skin tightens, subcutaneous blood vessels constrict, blood flow to the skin decreases, the skin becomes pale, and the temperature of the skin drops. This is the initial reaction of Cold Evil attacking the exterior.
Wind-Cold common cold primarily manifests as chills and body aches. This sensation of chills is due to the contraction of the body surface caused by Cold Evil, preventing Yang Qi from reaching the surface normally, leading to a loss of warmth. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is referred to as aversion to cold. Wearing more clothes does not alleviate the contraction of the body surface, hence it cannot improve this sensation of chills. The tightening of the skin and muscles affects the smooth flow of Qi and blood, leading to pain and discomfort.
When the skin tightens and blood vessels constrict, the skin’s ability to dissipate heat is suppressed, making it difficult to sweat; thus, Wind-Cold common cold often does not involve sweating.
Tightness in the head disrupts the circulation of Qi, blood, and fluids. The nasal mucosa has abundant capillaries, and when circulation is obstructed, local congestion and mucosal edema occur, leading to nasal congestion and clear nasal discharge.
When Cold Evil invades the lungs, the lungs contract and tighten, preventing normal expansion and breathing, resulting in symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, and even wheezing. Blood vessels also constrict, hence the pulse is tight.
The reason the body can maintain a constant temperature is that the internal heat production and heat dissipation systems are balanced. The skin is the largest heat dissipation system in the body. After exposure to cold, the skin tightens, and the heat dissipation function is suppressed, leading to an imbalance in heat production and dissipation, causing the body temperature to rise.
This is the mechanism of Wind-Cold common cold.
Correct Treatment for Wind-Cold Common Cold
Treating Wind-Cold common cold involves restoring the various tightened organs and tissues to their normal state, which will naturally alleviate the aforementioned symptoms. TCM treats this condition by inducing sweating to release the exterior and dispel cold.
Recommended treatment methods for Wind-Cold common cold are as follows:
1. Ginger Water Foot Soak Suitable for mild cold symptoms, sneezing, and clear nasal discharge, indicating a lighter exterior cold. This is a dietary therapy. Use 100 grams of fresh ginger and 1000 milliliters of water, boil for 20-30 minutes, and soak your feet in the hot water or use a towel soaked in hot ginger water to apply to the back. Adjust the water temperature and duration until you feel warmth throughout the body, then cover yourself with a blanket and sleep to induce sweating; this usually resolves the cold. This method works for both children and adults in the early stages of a cold. Be careful not to catch a second chill.2. Tongrentang Cold Soft Capsules (OTC Chinese Patent Medicine) For more severe exterior cold with fever (refer to the fever mechanism above). Cold soft capsules release the exterior and dispel cold. They can be dissolved in water and taken during a cold.
3. Tongxuan Li Fei Wan (OTC Chinese Patent Medicine) For colds accompanied by coughing symptoms. Tongxuan Li Fei Wan dispels cold and releases the exterior, and stops cough. When using, boil in water and consume, adding some ginger slices for better effect, or chew it finely. There is also Tongxuan Li Fei Pian, which dissolves easily for quick absorption and effect. It is recommended to purchase the Tongrentang brand, as their large honey pills dissolve easily and are effective. They are generally available at Tongrentang pharmacies.4. Xiao Chai Hu Granules (OTC Chinese Patent Medicine) Used for severe cold symptoms with bitter mouth, dry throat, nausea, and loss of appetite. This should only be used when these symptoms arise from cold exposure. Recommended brands: Baiyunshan, Yunnan Baiyao.5. Cold Dispelling Tea (TCM Health Tea) There are also cold-dispelling tea, Shengmu tea, and Xinkou tea that can be used. Cold-dispelling tea releases the exterior and dispels cold, similar to Tongxuan Li Fei Wan, but with deeper effects and more convenient as a decoction, and better efficacy than Tongxuan. The medicinal materials are ground into coarse powder and packaged into tea bags, with each bag containing 3 grams. Use 1-4 bags at a time, depending on the condition. The ingredients are food and medicine compatible, making it suitable for daily conditioning for those with cold constitution, and can be consumed long-term.6. Wind-Cold Common Cold Granules (OTC Chinese Patent Medicine) Functions similarly to Tongxuan Li Fei Wan and Cold Soft Capsules. They dispel cold and release the exterior. When buying medicine, be careful not to purchase cold-clearing granules.
The Ma Huang Tang from the Treatise on Cold Damage also has this effect, but it is more potent and used for more severe Wind-Cold common cold cases. These methods are the correct treatment approaches.
Incorrect Treatments for Wind-Cold Common Cold
However, currently, both Western and Chinese medicine have incorrect treatment methods for Wind-Cold common cold.
1. Western Antipyretics + Anti-inflammatory Drugs:
Antipyretics and anti-inflammatory drugs are both cold and cooling in nature. After taking them, they quickly suppress the body’s heat production function, weakening the body’s ability to generate heat, which prevents the righteous Qi from resisting, leading to a balance in body temperature. The result of this treatment is that children or adults may experience decreased energy, fatigue, and drowsiness. Once the effect of the medication wears off, the body’s heat production resumes, and the temperature will rise again, leading to repeated cycles, ultimately weakening the body’s vital energy. Children may become weak and prone to illness, with poor growth and many sequelae, such as loss of appetite and poor digestion.
2. IV Fluids (Antibiotics + Anti-inflammatory Drugs):
Cold and cooling medications directly enter the bloodstream, causing coldness to penetrate deeper, especially in winter when a large bag of cold and cooling fluid enters the bloodstream, causing blood vessels to constrict, further reducing the body’s heat production function and preventing the righteous Qi from resisting. Sequelae may include rhinitis, bronchitis, and tracheitis.
3. Heat-Clearing and Detoxifying Chinese Patent Medicine Ingredients:
For example, using heat-clearing and detoxifying Chinese herbs to suppress the body’s heat production function to treat this fever. Although it can normalize body temperature, it suppresses the body’s righteous Qi, allowing Cold Evil to penetrate deeper. It only creates a low-level balance that prevents fever, but the entire body’s functions become disordered, leaving endless sequelae. Therefore, everyone must discern clearly, or they may suffer harm without realizing it.
Precautions
When buying medicine, be careful not to purchase Chinese patent medicines that contain Western medicine ingredients; check the ingredients carefully.
When treating colds with Chinese medicine, there is a guideline for taking medicine: if it is effective but not completely resolved, increase the frequency of taking the medicine. Do not take it slowly at two times a day. Generally, it can be taken every 2-3 hours, and more frequently if the condition is severe.
Additionally, during the treatment of Wind-Cold common cold with TCM warming and releasing exterior herbs, a small disease expulsion reaction may occur. Just before sweating occurs (usually 1-4 hours after taking the medicine), the body temperature may rise. This is a manifestation of the medicine stimulating Qi and blood to the surface. Many parents may panic at this time, seeing the temperature rise instead of fall after taking the medicine, thinking the medicine is counterproductive. However, after a while, when sweating occurs, the temperature will drop.
Light sweating is preferable; profuse sweating is not advisable..
Timely Treatment for Colds
If Wind-Cold common cold is not treated promptly in the early stages, it can trigger a chain reaction in the body, leading to more complex situations, making treatment more difficult and not easily explained in a few words. Therefore, it is best to address the situation as soon as symptoms like clear nasal discharge and sneezing appear; the condition is uncomplicated and can be resolved quickly.
A woman from Shanghai said: Previously, when her child had clear nasal discharge and sneezing, she knew the child had a cold but did not know what to do, so she could only watch as the child developed a fever and then went to the hospital, which took a long time each time. Now, as soon as her child shows clear nasal discharge and sneezing, she immediately prepares two bags of cold-dispelling tea, and the child recovers immediately without developing a fever.
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