Recently, the temperature has dropped sharply, and many friends have caught colds. Many customers have come to the store seeking cold medicine. One major benefit of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas for treating colds (excluding Western medicine components) is that they are less likely to cause drowsiness. However, TCM formulas must be matched to the correct syndrome to be effective. Common TCM syndromes for colds include Wind-Cold, Wind-Heat, and Cold-Phlegm-Fire types, each corresponding to different TCM formulas.
Wind-Cold Cold
Key Indicators for Diagnosis
✔ Headache, body aches (often tight pain)
✔ Aversion to wind and cold
✔ Nasal congestion, heavy nasal sounds, sneezing, worsens with cold
✔ Clear nasal discharge, white or slightly yellow mucus
✔ May accompany cough with phlegm, phlegm is white and thin
✔ Tongue coating is thin and white
Recommended TCM Formulas
General Wind-Cold Cold
Wind-Cold Cold Granules: These have the effects of releasing the exterior and inducing sweating, dispersing wind and dispelling cold, suitable for Wind-Cold colds, fever, headache, aversion to cold, no sweating, cough, nasal congestion, and clear nasal discharge.
Wind-Cold Cold with Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Oral Liquid: This has the effects of releasing the exterior, transforming dampness, and regulating the Qi, suitable for colds caused by external Wind-Cold, internal damp stagnation, or summer heat dampness, with symptoms of headache, heaviness in the chest, abdominal distension and pain, vomiting, and diarrhea; gastrointestinal type colds with the above symptoms.
Wind-Cold Cold with Prominent Head or Body Aches
Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Granules: These have the effects of dispersing wind, releasing the exterior, and dispelling cold and dampness. Suitable for colds caused by external Wind-Cold with dampness, symptoms include aversion to cold, fever, no sweating, heavy and painful head, and body aches.
Wind-Cold Cold with Cough and Phlegm Symptoms
Apricot and Perilla Cold Granules: These have the effects of dispersing wind, dispelling cold, transforming phlegm, and stopping cough. Suitable for Wind-Cold colds with nasal congestion, headache, cough with abundant phlegm, and chest tightness. Similar effect medications include Tong Xuan Li Fei Wan, Apricot and Perilla Cough Granules, etc.
Wind-Cold Cold with Internal Phlegm (referring to excessive respiratory water, such as abundant clear nasal discharge and thin phlegm)
Xiao Qing Long Granules: These have the effects of releasing the exterior, transforming water, stopping cough, and relieving asthma, suitable for Wind-Cold with water retention, symptoms include aversion to cold, fever, no sweating, and cough with thin phlegm.
Wind-Heat Cold
Key Indicators for Diagnosis
✔ High fever, mild aversion to cold
✔ Headache (often a throbbing pain)
✔ Thirst
✔ Nasal congestion with yellow, thick nasal discharge
✔ Sore and swollen throat
✔ May accompany cough with phlegm, phlegm is yellow and thick
✔ Tongue edges are red, coating is thin and yellow
Recommended TCM Formulas
General Wind-Heat Cold
Wind-Heat Cold Granules: These have the effects of dispersing wind, clearing heat, and relieving throat toxicity, suitable for Wind-Heat colds, fever, sweating, nasal congestion, headache, throat pain, and cough with abundant phlegm.
Wind-Heat Cold with Prominent Throat Pain
Yin Qiao Pian: These have the effects of dispersing wind, releasing the exterior, clearing heat, and detoxifying, suitable for Wind-Heat colds causing fever, headache, cough, dry mouth, and throat pain. Similar effect medications include Yin Huang Granules.
Wind-Heat Cold with Prominent Cough Symptoms
Sang Ju Cold Granules: These have the effects of dispersing wind, clearing heat, and stopping cough, suitable for early-stage Wind-Heat colds, headache, cough, dry mouth, and throat pain.
Wind-Heat Cold with Prominent Constipation Symptoms
Huang Lian Shang Qing Wan: These have the effects of dispersing wind, clearing heat, and relieving pain, suitable for Wind-Heat attacking upward, with symptoms of dizziness, swollen gums, mouth sores, red and swollen throat, ear pain, ear ringing, explosive fire eyes, dry stools, and yellow urine.
Highly Contagious Wind-Heat Cold
Antiviral Oral Liquid, Shuang Huang Lian Oral Liquid, Jin Hua Qing Gan Granules, Lian Hua Qing Wen Capsules, Xiao Er Chi Qiao Qing Re Granules: These have the effects of dispersing wind, releasing the exterior, clearing heat, and detoxifying, suitable for Wind-Heat type influenza with high fever, fatigue, headache, cough, and systemic muscle aches.
Cold-Phlegm-Fire Type Cold
Many friends have experienced a cold with both Wind-Heat and Wind-Cold symptoms; this is often a Cold-Phlegm-Fire type cold.
The cause of Cold-Phlegm-Fire type colds is often due to pre-existing internal heat or a strong constitution, combined with an external cold pathogen, leading to the cold pathogen enveloping the internal heat and causing illness. Cold-Phlegm-Fire type colds can be treated with the following three TCM formulas based on symptoms:
Recommended TCM Formulas
General Cold-Phlegm-Fire Type Cold
Xiao Chai Hu Granules: These have the effects of harmonizing the exterior and interior, releasing the exterior, dispersing heat, and soothing the liver and stomach, suitable for external pathogenic diseases, with symptoms of alternating chills and fever, fullness in the chest and hypochondria, poor appetite, irritability, nausea, and bitter mouth and dry throat.
Cold-Phlegm-Fire Type Cold with Prominent Constipation Symptoms
Fang Feng Tong Sheng Wan: These have the effects of releasing the exterior, unblocking the interior, and clearing heat and detoxifying, suitable for external cold and internal heat, with symptoms of severe chills and fever, headache, dry throat, short and red urine, and constipation.
Cold-Phlegm-Fire Type Cold with Prominent Irritability or Cough with Phlegm (yellow or yellow-white)
Gui Huang Qing Re Granules: These have the effects of inducing sweating, releasing the exterior, clearing heat, and relieving irritability, suitable for external Wind-Cold, with symptoms of fever, aversion to cold, equal severity of cold and heat, floating and tight pulse, body aches, no sweating, and irritability; acute upper respiratory infections belonging to Wind-Cold exterior excess with internal heat.
(This article is for professional reference only. Please purchase and use medications according to the instructions or under the guidance of a pharmacist.)
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