Keep These TCM Products in Your Medicine Cabinet for Cold and Flu
Summer Colds
They have been making their rounds recently! Heat waves and blasting air con, wildfire air pollution followed by flooding rain storms —this bout of the summer cold has been lasting for up to two weeks for many people. Even after the two weeks I have seen some still struggle with fatigue and lingering phlegm. In the chronic illness community, some have been struggling with resurfacing issues like being bed-bound, heart palpitations, dysautonomia, bloating, nausea. I know we have been taught for many years to let colds and flu to ride out but there are so many consequences to the immune system that are just not worth it. Just because there is nothing Western Medicine can offer except rest and hydration (still very important!), does not mean you should do nothing.
Taking herbs at the start of illness and getting acupuncture after your fever has broken are able to reduce that illness time significantly. Acupuncture and cupping can help with reducing inflammation in the sinuses and allowing phlegm to transform and drain out.
Some of the most important herbs in Chinese Medicine are anti-virals and phlegm transforming herbs:
Jin Yin Hua - Honey Suckle Flower - Clears heat for cough and sore throat especially with fever that is from a viral infection.
Lian Qiao - Forsythia Fruit - For Wind-heat conditions with fever or viral infections with respiratory symptoms.
Jie Geng - Balloon Flower Root - Expels phlegm. Good for sore throat with profuse phlegm, fever and coughing.
Ban Lan Gen - Indigo Root - Clears heat for a sore throat, relieves toxicity for upper respiratory infections.
Pei Pa Ye - Loquat Leaf - Helps transform phlegm and clear heat from the lungs when there is sore throat and phlegmy cough.
Please remember Chinese herbs are meant to be a part of a formula and not taken as single components. Chinese herbal formulas are intricate and complicated.
We can’t predict the future and we never know when we might get sick so its best to keep something on hand, just in case! *This is not medical advice. Please consult with your acupuncturist and herbalist for proper dosing in your case. Do not take anything you’re unfamiliar with before discussing it with your medical team.
Find these TCM products by visiting the Kamwo store
You might also be interested in reading: Hot Cold Vs. Cold Cold, Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy, Tiger Balm