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Treatment of Cold and Flu in TCM
1. Wind- Heat Type

An example prescription--Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder, also called yin chao san in Chinese. It is typically available in stores that sell Chinese remedies.
Monarch herbs
Honeysuckle flower (jin yin hua)

Weeping Forsythia Capsule (lian qiao)
Releases heat evils from the exterior, clears heat and relieves toxin.

Yinchao san in granule and tablet forms.
Minister herbs Peppermint (bo he)

Great Burdock Achene (niu bang zi)

Fineleaf Schizonepeta Herb (jing jie)

Fermented Soybean (dan dou chi) 		Helps monarch herbs to clear wind-heat and relieves throat symptoms.
Assistant herbs
Reed Rhizome (lu gen)

Lophatherum Herb (dan zhu ye)

Platycodon Root (jie geng) 		Helps produce fluid to clear wind-heat.

Helps disperse lung qi and relieves throat symptoms.
Guide herbs Liquorice Root (shen gan cao) Harmonizes all other herbs.


2. Wind-Cold Type

An example prescription--Schizonepeta and Saposhnikovia Powder (jing fang bai du san)

Monarch herbs Fineleaf Schizonepeta Herb (jing jie)

Divaricate Saposhnikovia Root (fang feng)

Incised Notopterygium Root (qiang huo)

Doubleteeth Pubescent Angelica Root (du huo) 		Dispels wind-cold evils from the exterior, dispels dampness and alleviates pain.
Minister herbs
Chinese Thorowax Root (chai hu) Szechwan Lovage Rhizome (chuan xiong) Dispels wind and heat evils and reduces fever.
Assistant herbs Hogfennel Root (qian hu)

Orange Fruit (zhi ke)

Platycodon Root (jie geng)

Indian Bread (fu ling) 		Expels phlegm and regulates the flow of qi in the chest.
Guide herbs Liquorice Root (gan cao)

Fresh ginger (sheng jiang)

Peppermint (bo he)
Harmonizes all other herbs.

Used as guide herbs to relieve exterior syndrome.


3. Damp-Heat Type

An example prescription-- Newly Augmented Elsholtzia Decoction (xin jia xiang ru yin)

Monarch herbs Mosla herb (xiang ru ) Expels the evils in the exterior level.
Minister herbs

White Hyacinth bean (bai bian dou )

Officinal Mognolia bark (hou po ) 		Activates qi movement and fortifies the spleen to promote water metabolism and remove excessive dampness.

Weeping Forsythia Capsule (lian qiao)

Honeysuckle flower (jin yin hua)

Clears away excessive heat.
Fructus Forsythiae , Herba Schizonepetae and peppermint.

Clinically, the above basic formulas for all three types will be modified according to different individual disharmony patterns. For example, individuals with a high fever should add unprocessed gypsum. Those with a severe cough should add almond and fritillary, and, those with a constitutional weakness and profuse sweating should add astragalus root.