1. Early Onset: fear of cold, slight chills, mild fever, no sweating, headache, stuffy nose, slight sore throat (more dryness than heat), sense of fatigue, run down feeling.
Remedies:
- Miso green-onion soup, hot and sour soup (Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai)
- chicken soup
- Vitamin C
- Echinacea-goldenseal tincture
- Cyclone Cider
- Gypsy Cold Care Tea
- Rest, Rest, Rest!
2. Early Stage: Cold: fever and chills (chills predominate), headache, body aches, stiffness, sneezing, nasal congestion, white clear nasal discharge, no sore throat, no sweating.
Remedies:
- Ma Huang Tang - Ephedra Decoction
- Da Qing Long Tang - Major Green-Blue Dragon Decoction (with fever)
- Fang Feng Tong Sheng San - Ledebouriella Sage Inspired Powder (with headaches)
- Fresh ginger root tea - drink warm, get in bed, cover up and sweat.
Cold with chest congestion: cough, wheezing, white copius sputum -
- Xiao Ching Long - Minor Blue-Green Dragon Decoction.
3. Early Stage: Heat: fever, sweating, slight chills, slight fear of cold, headache that is throbbing (less of a tight sensation), sore throat, red eyes, nasal discharge that is yellowish, irritability.
Remedies:
- Yin Qiao San - Honeysuckle Forsynthia Powder (with more nasal discharge)
- Zhong Gan Ling Pills - Valuable Cold Efficacious Remedy Pills (with more fever and sore throat)
- Sang Ju Yin Tang - Mulberry Leaf Chrysanthemum Decoction (with more fever and cough)
- Gan Mao Ling - Common Cold Effective Remedy Pills (with high fever, stiffness in upper back, sore throat)
Sore Throat:
- Ban Lan Gen Cha
- Isatis tea or Isatis tincture
- Qing Lan Tang - Notopterygium and Isatis Decoction
- Superior Sore Throat Powder or Watermelon Frost Powder
- fresh ginger slices - slice a piece of ginger root, suck, leave in mouth
- Cyclone Cider extract
4. Cough - Chest Congestion with White Phlegm: fever alternating with chills, dry throat, fullness in the chest, white phlegm, wheezing, no fever or mild fever.
Remedies:
- Xiao Chai Hu Tang - Minor Bupleurum Decoction (may have alternating fever and irritability)
- Er Chen Tang - Two Cured Decoction (with copius white phlegm, nausea)
- Liu Jun Zi Tang - Six Gentlemen Decoction (chronic cough and phlegm underlying)
5. Cough - Chest Congestion with Yellow Phlegm: barking cough, yellow or green phlegm, hot sensation in chest, feeling of oppression - fullness in chest, mild fever.
Remedies:
- Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan - Pinellia Expectorant - Clear Air Tea Pills (with thick yellow phlegm)
- Qing Fei Yi Huo Pian - Clear Lungs - Restrain Fire Tablet (with more fever, sore throat)
- San She Dan Chuan Bei Ye - Three Snake Gall Bladder with Fritellaria Syrup (helps dissolve phlegm)
6. Cough - Dry, Tickling: dry throat, dry cough, tickling throat, minor chest congestion,late stages.
Remedies:
- Mai Men Dong Tang - Ophiopogon Decoction (with dryness in the lungs)
- Pei Pa Gao - Loquat Syrup (dryness in the lungs, dry sore throat)
- Lo Han Guo Chong Ji - Mormordica Fruit Instant Medicine (with lung dryness, prevention of cough, colds)
7. Nasal Congestion: stuffy nose with thick white-gray mucous, facial pressure, puffy face.
Remedies:
- Bi Yan Pian -Nose Inflammation Pills (with cold or heat symptoms, allergies, sneezing)
- Pe Min Kan Wan (chronic or acute nasal congestion, stuffy nose, sinus inflammation)
- warm water with lemon juice - boil water, add lemon juice and drink three glasses every two hours
8. General Considerations: the most important remedy is rest and warm fluids. If any symptoms continue and progress please consult a licensed health practitioner.
Herb Stores in San Diego
- Nam Bac Hong Herb Store: 46th and El Cajon Blvd. past Fairmount Ave.
- Gen Min Herb Store: Utah and University Ave.
- Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego - 4229 Park Blvd. at El Cajon Blvd.
Suggested Reading
- The Web That Has No Weaver - Ted Kaptchuk OMD
- Chinese Herbal Patent Formulas - Jake Fratkin
- Chinese Tonic Herbs - Ron Teeguarden