Recently, COVID-19 has swept across the country again, and for those who have been infected once, the symptoms upon reinfection have become increasingly mild.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the treatment for such relatively mild external pathogens still primarily employs methods for treating colds and seasonal flu. However, many people are confused about whether their “cold” is due to Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat. It is said that there is also a type called Exterior Cold with Interior Heat, which adds to the confusion…
Today, I will help everyone clarify how to accurately identify the various types of colds. If you find this useful, don’t forget to share it with your family and friends!
General Characteristics of Colds
No matter the type, once you have a cold, it will initially present a similar cluster of symptoms. The most common symptoms include generalized body aches, fatigue, dizziness, headache, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, or difficulty swallowing, and cough.
Since the external evil qi has just invaded the body’s surface, this type of syndrome is also referred to in TCM as Exterior Syndrome.
Therefore, regardless of the type, as long as it is an Exterior Syndrome, the treatment requires Releasing the Exterior. This means that when facing the initial symptoms of a cold, regardless of the symptoms, you should first consider choosing medications that have the effect of releasing the exterior.
However, for Exterior Heat, you need to use cooling herbs to release the exterior, while for Exterior Cold, you should use warming herbs to release the exterior. For Exterior Cold with Interior Heat, you need to release the exterior cold and clear the interior heat. These effects are clearly indicated in the TCM patent medicines.
01
What is Wind-Cold Cold?
The textbooks describe it as follows:
Severe aversion to cold, mild fever, no sweating, headache, body aches, nasal congestion with a heavy voice, occasional clear nasal discharge, throat itch, cough with thin white phlegm, thin white tongue coating, and floating tight pulse.
Many people find these descriptions quite similar, and it seems difficult for the average person to distinguish. Don’t worry, I will help you identify the key distinguishing features!
Severe aversion to cold is crucial; Wind-Cold colds will have a particularly obvious fear of wind and cold. This cold sensation is not simply feeling cold but is a profound coldness, where no matter how thick the clothing or blankets, one still feels cold.
However, one point to remember is that although feeling cold, not sweating, and even having a fever, the person is not irritable, the tongue coating is not thick, greasy, or yellow, and the tongue or tongue tip is not red. The tongue presentation for Wind-Cold Exterior Syndrome is pale red with thin white coating; if it does not match, it cannot be treated simply as Wind-Cold, otherwise, it will either worsen or be ineffective.
Summary: Severe aversion to cold, no sweating, generalized body aches, pale red tongue with thin white coating.
TCM Patent Medicines:
● For Wind-Cold colds with generalized body pain, choose Wind-Cold Cold Granules or Cold Soft Capsules.
● For Wind-Cold colds with nasal congestion, sneezing, and clear nasal discharge, choose Cold Clear Heat Granules (sugar-free) or Jing Fang Granules.
● For Wind-Cold colds with cough and white phlegm, or accompanied by nasal congestion, choose Tong Xuan Li Fei Wan.
● For those with weak constitution, shortness of breath, and fatigue, choose Ren Su Wan.
02
What is Wind-Heat Cold?
The textbooks describe it as follows:
Fever, slight aversion to wind and cold, or sweating, nasal congestion with sneezing, thick nasal discharge, headache, sore throat, cough with thick phlegm, thin yellow tongue coating, and floating rapid pulse.
The key distinguishing feature here is fever, with mild or no aversion to cold, which is the most critical point for identifying Wind-Heat type.
The tongue coating, phlegm, sore throat, and headache are not key information because Exterior Cold with Interior Heat can also present similarly. Moreover, the tongue presentation can also show pale red with thin white coating. However, if the tongue coating is thick and greasy, it can rule out Wind-Heat cold. It is also important to note that regardless of Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat, the cough in Exterior Syndrome is relatively mild, with a shallow cough sound.
Summary: Fever, no obvious aversion to cold, nasal congestion, runny nose, headache or sore throat, cough.
TCM Patent Medicines:
● For Wind-Heat colds with cough, choose Sang Ju Cold Tablets; if the fever is higher, you can also combine with Ke Chuan Ling Granules.
● For Wind-Heat colds with sore throat, choose Yin Qiao Jie Du Tablets; if nasal congestion and runny nose are also significant, you can use Sang Ju Cold Tablets together; if there is obvious yellow phlegm, add Compound Xian Zhu Li Liquid.
03
What is Exterior Cold with Interior Heat?
The textbooks describe it as follows:
Fever with aversion to cold, nasal congestion with a heavy voice, generalized body aches, no sweating, thirst, sore throat, cough with shortness of breath, yellow sticky phlegm, or red urine and constipation, tongue coating yellow and white mixed.
This type looks very similar to Wind-Heat, which leads many people to be unable to distinguish between the two.
In fact, the key point is that with Exterior Cold, there must be a very obvious aversion to cold, which is consistent with Wind-Cold colds. However, Wind-Cold colds do not simultaneously have Interior Heat syndrome, while Exterior Cold with Interior Heat has both Exterior Cold and significant Interior Heat syndrome.
Interior Heat syndrome is characterized by very high fever, often with a body temperature exceeding 39 degrees Celsius, and also presents with dry mouth and thirst, severe throat pain, yellow and sticky phlegm, yellow urine, and dry stools, with a red tongue and yellow thick coating.
Summary: High fever, severe aversion to cold, no sweating, dry mouth and thirst, severe sore throat, cough with yellow sticky phlegm.
TCM Patent Medicines:
Lian Hua Qing Wen Capsules, Ke Chuan Ling Granules, and Fei Re Ke Chuan Oral Liquid.
So, have you clarified this time? Of course, the higher the fever in external pathogenic diseases, the greater the risk for the patient. Therefore, when the body temperature exceeds 39 degrees Celsius, it is still recommended to seek medical attention promptly to avoid delaying treatment!
You may have missed these previous exciting articles:
Feeling fatigued and lacking energy after the second infection? Here are 2 methods to replenish your energy recommended for collection.
Facing the second infection, doctors remind you of these 4 points.
Share | Learn Zhan Zhuang with Mom.
