TCM types of acute cough: Wind-cold Type | Wind-heat Type | Dry-heat Type

This is a cough presenting with yellowish thick mucus, other accompanied symptoms may include yellowish nasal discharges, throat soreness, thirst, low-grade fever, chills, headache and sweating. The tongue coating is yellowish, and the pulse is floating and rapid.

The remedy should dispel wind-heat, promote the lungs and dissolve the mucus.

Sample prescription: Modified Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction

In the prescription, the mulberry leaf, chrysanthemum and peppermint dispel wind-heat evils through the body surface; apricot kernel, balloonflower root and liquorice root smooth the qi flow of the lungs and promote expectoration; reed rhizome and forsythia capsule clear the internal heat and promote the production of body fluids so as to dissolve the mucus.

Mulberry leaf	balloonflower root	hogfennel root

Additional herbs are necessary when certain symptoms are serious. For example:

Severe cough indicates that extra force is needed to soothe the lungs.

Thick mucus that is difficult to expectorate may necessitate clearing heat in the lungs and dissolving the mucus.

Obvious chills indicates that the ability of dispelling wind evils need to be enhanced.

Severe thirst and throat dryness indicate that the lungs have excessive heat.

Nose bleeding indicates the blood need to cool down.

Throat soreness and hoarseness indicate that the region is irritated by heat and needs to soothe by herbs like:

Coughing up excessive mucus accompanied by chest tightness, sweating, slightly yellow and greasy tongue coating, and a hesitant-rapid pulse indicate that dampness evils also involved. This necessitates the use of the following extra herbs to dispel dampness.

When wind-heat type coughing occurs in summer, individuals also tend to experience irritability, chest tightness, scanty yellowish urination, the tongue turns red with yellow coating, and the pulse is hesitant and rapid. The following aromatic herbs will be added to counteract the summer-heat: