1Overview
The Wind-Cold Common Cold is caused by exposure to cold wind, commonly occurring in autumn and winter. Symptoms include body aches, nasal congestion with runny nose, and cough with phlegm. Both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can be used for treatment, as well as dietary therapy. Preventive measures include keeping warm, increasing physical exercise, and enhancing immunity.
The Wind-Cold Common Cold is caused by the invasion of Wind-Cold evil and the failure of lung qi to disperse. Symptoms may include: severe chills, mild fever, absence of sweating, headache, body aches, nasal congestion with clear nasal discharge, cough with thin white phlegm, no thirst or preference for hot drinks, and a thin white tongue coating. The treatment principle should focus on warming and dispersing the exterior. Commonly used herbs include Ma Huang (Ephedra), Jing Jie (Schizonepeta), Fang Feng (Saposhnikovia), and Su Ye (Perilla Leaf) to disperse cold. Representative formulas include Cong Chi Tang (Scallion and Soybean Decoction) and Jing Fang Bai Du San (Schizonepeta and Saposhnikovia Powder). Over-the-counter TCM products may include Gan Mao Qing Re Chong Ji (Cold and Flu Relief Granules), Zheng Chai Hu Yin Chong Ji (Chai Hu Decoction), Gan Mao Soft Capsules, Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San (Chuanxiong Tea Powder), and Tong Xuan Li Fei Wan (Disperse Cold and Regulate Lung Pill). After taking the medicine, drinking some hot porridge or soup and inducing a slight sweat can help the medicinal effects to dispel Wind-Cold.
2Etiology
The Wind-Cold Common Cold is caused by the invasion of Wind-Cold evil and the failure of lung qi to disperse, usually triggered by fatigue combined with exposure to wind or cold. It commonly occurs more frequently in autumn and winter.
3Clinical Manifestations
1. Occipital Pain
This refers to pain in the back of the head, accompanied by stiffness in neck movement.
2. Aversion to Cold and Wind
Usually, one feels comfortable only when wearing many clothes or under a thick blanket.
3. Clear Nasal Discharge
Clear nasal discharge, white or slightly yellow. If nasal congestion occurs without discharge, drinking hot water may induce clear nasal discharge, which also indicates Wind-Cold Common Cold; the tongue may have no coating or a thin white coating, and nasal congestion may produce a heavy sound. Symptoms include sneezing, clear nasal discharge, aversion to cold, mild or no fever, absence of sweating, body aches, cough with thin white phlegm, thin white tongue coating, and a floating tight pulse.
4Differential Diagnosis
1. Allergic Rhinitis
Nasal congestion, runny nose, nasal itching, and sneezing may indicate seasonal allergic rhinitis. These four typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis are similar to those of a cold. However, allergic rhinitis is caused by allergens and requires antihistamine treatment; the common cold is caused by viruses or bacteria. Some patients mistakenly treat allergic rhinitis as a cold and self-medicate with simple cold medications, unaware that this not only fails to treat the condition but also delays proper diagnosis and treatment, potentially leading to complications such as sinusitis, otitis media, nasal polyps, and bronchial asthma.
2. Rubella
In the first 24 hours of onset, mild upper respiratory infection symptoms such as fever, runny nose, and cough may occur. After 1-2 days, a light red rash appears on the skin, starting from the face and spreading throughout the body within 1-2 days, disappearing in 2-3 days without leaving traces. Lymph nodes behind the ears and at the back of the head may swell during the rash.
3. Epidemic Parotitis
Often presents as a common cold initially, followed by sudden high fever that does not subside, along with swelling and pain in the parotid glands, lasting 3-5 days. If not treated promptly, it may lead to suppurative parotitis and various complications such as encephalitis, epididymitis, acute pancreatitis, and nephritis.
4. Epidemic Meningitis
A disease caused by meningococci, transmitted through respiratory droplets. It is more common in spring and highly contagious, with the highest incidence in children. The initial symptoms of meningococcal meningitis include fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, sore throat, and body aches. When the bacteria invade the bloodstream, symptoms may escalate to sudden high fever, headache, chills, vomiting, neck stiffness, opisthotonos, and coma.
5. Viral Hepatitis
In the early stages of viral hepatitis, symptoms such as fever, fatigue, malaise, and headache may occur, which are also similar to cold symptoms. The main distinguishing points include a longer course of illness, aversion to greasy foods, jaundice, pain in the liver area, and elevated transaminases in laboratory tests. If a patient has a cold that persists and presents with the above symptoms, early diagnosis and treatment should be sought.
6. Measles
In the first 1-2 days of measles, fever occurs with cold symptoms, accompanied by tearing, runny nose, conjunctival hyperemia, and photophobia. On the third day, measles spots appear in the oral mucosa, followed by red maculopapular rashes on the skin, starting from the skin behind the ears and then spreading to the head, face, trunk, and limbs. As the rash increases, the fever also intensifies.
7. Chickenpox
Chickenpox is an acute infectious disease caused by a herpes virus, commonly seen in children. Initially, mild fever, runny nose, and cough may occur, followed by rashes appearing sequentially on the trunk, head, face, and limbs, which are initially flat and then become raised, turning into clear, full blisters, which later become cloudy and then shrivel. The skin around the blisters becomes red and itchy.
8. Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Early clinical manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis may include persistent low-grade fever, night sweats, decreased appetite, along with cough and sputum, which are very similar to cold symptoms. If a person frequently experiences unexplained “colds,” the possibility of pulmonary tuberculosis should be considered, and chest X-rays or repeated sputum tests should be conducted to confirm the diagnosis.
9. Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever is a bacterial respiratory infectious disease characterized by fever, pharyngitis, and rash. The rash typically appears around the second day of fever, with diffuse erythema (blanching upon pressure) throughout the skin, accompanied by pinpoint-sized red spots. The tongue may have a white coating, while the tongue body is red, resembling a strawberry, hence the term “strawberry tongue.”
10. Rheumatic Diseases
Many rheumatic diseases often occur after a common cold, accompanied by a prolonged course of illness and gradually developing migratory joint swelling and pain. If not treated appropriately during this period, it may lead to heart valve involvement and subsequent rheumatic heart disease.
5Pattern Differentiation and Treatment
The key to treating Wind-Cold Common Cold is inducing sweating (known in TCM as warming and dispersing the exterior). There are many methods, including sauna, soaking feet in hot water (preferably with some alcohol), covering with a thick blanket, drinking ginger syrup, and consuming ginger porridge.
1. Traditional Formulas
The primary formula for treating Wind-Cold Common Cold is Gui Zhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction), the first formula in the Treatise on Cold Damage, also known as the king of harmonizing formulas (Ma Huang Tang is also used for Wind-Cold Common Cold but should be used cautiously in the south). The overall treatment principle is: warming and dispersing the exterior, dispersing lung cold.
2. Remedies for Wind-Cold Common Cold
(1) Formula Peppermint, garlic, and ginger in equal parts. Method: Crush all ingredients into a paste, apply an appropriate amount to the navel, cover with gauze, and secure with adhesive tape, changing the dressing once a day. After applying the medicine, eating hot porridge can enhance the medicinal effect, and slight sweating is desirable.
(2) Formula 3 scallions, appropriate amounts of white wine and millet. Method: Add an appropriate amount of water to cook porridge, consume hot to induce sweating.
(3) Formula 3 scallions. Method: Boil scallions in water, soak feet in hot water before bed, and drink the scallion broth while still warm. Cover with a blanket afterward, and slight sweating is desirable.
3. Dietary Therapy for Wind-Cold Common Cold
(1) Ginger and Radish Soup Ingredients: 25g fresh ginger, 50g radish. Method: Slice ginger and radish, place both in a pot with an appropriate amount of water, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add brown sugar and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Efficacy: Dispels wind and cold, releases the exterior. Method: Take once daily, hot.
(2) Scallion and Fermented Soybean Soup Ingredients: 2 scallions, 10g fermented soybeans. Method: Boil 500ml of water with fermented soybeans for 2-3 minutes, then add scallions and seasonings before serving. Efficacy: Releases the exterior and disperses cold. Method: Consume while hot, cover with a blanket to induce sweating afterward.
(3) Cilantro and Scallion Soup Ingredients: 15g cilantro, 15 scallions, 9g fresh ginger. Method: Wash and chop cilantro, scallions, and ginger, place in a pot with an appropriate amount of water, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, then strain and drink the liquid. Efficacy: Releases the exterior and disperses cold. Method: Take twice daily for 2-3 days.
(4) Ginger and Brown Sugar Drink Ingredients: 10g fresh ginger, 15g brown sugar. Method: Slice ginger, steep in boiling water, cover for about 5 minutes, then add brown sugar. Efficacy: Disperses wind and cold, harmonizes the stomach. Method: Take once daily, while hot, and cover with a blanket to induce sweating afterward.
(5) Cang Er and Egg Ingredients: 1 egg, 6g Cang Er Zi (Xanthium). Method: Remove thorns from Cang Er Zi, fry until yellow, grind into a fine powder, mix with the egg to make an egg mixture, and cook. Efficacy: Dispels wind and alleviates pain. Method: Take once daily, while hot, for 3 days.