Chinese medicine for cough

We all know that coughing is a common disease in life, especially when you have a cold, it is easy to cause coughing. Many people cough because of tracheal diseases, and some people cough because of lung diseases. No matter what the cause is, cough is a disease that is difficult to treat. Many people think that Chinese medicine is more effective in treating coughs. So which Chinese medicines can cure coughs?

Coltsfoot

It is the flower bud of coltsfoot of the Asteraceae family. It is mainly produced in Henan, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places. Dig up the flowers in December or before the ground freezes when they have not yet emerged from the ground, remove the pedicels, dry in the shade, and use raw or roast with honey.

【Properties】 Pungent, slightly bitter, warm. It enters the lung meridian.

【Effects】 Moistens the lungs and relieves qi, relieves cough and reduces phlegm.

【application】

Cough and asthma. This product is pungent, warm and moistening, and can be used to treat cough and asthma regardless of cold, heat, deficiency or excess. If the cough is caused by cold, it can be used together with dried ginger, aster, and schisandra chinensis, such as Kuantongjian (Qianjin Fang). For treating lung heat, cough and asthma, it is used together with Anemarrhena asphodeloides, mulberry leaves and Fritillaria cirrhosa, such as Kuandonghua Decoction (Shengji Zonglu); if it is used with ginseng and astragalus, it can treat lung qi deficiency and persistent cough; if it is used to treat yin deficiency and dry cough, it is used with Adenophora stellaria and Ophiopogon japonicus; for long-term cough and asthma with blood in sputum, it is often used with Licorice root, such as Baihua Gao (Jisheng Fang); for those with cough and pus sputum due to lung abscess, it can also be used with Platycodon grandiflorum, Coix seed, etc., such as Kuanhua Decoction (Chongyang Lianshi Quanshu).

[Usage and Dosage] Decoction, 5-10g. It is suitable to be used raw for sudden cough caused by external factors, and it is suitable to be roasted for long-term cough caused by internal injuries.

[Drug identification] Both coltsfoot and aster are warm in nature, but warm without being dry. They can both resolve phlegm and moisten the lungs. They can be used for coughs regardless of whether they are caused by cold or heat, deficiency or excess, and regardless of the length of the disease. The former focuses on relieving cough, while the latter is particularly good at removing phlegm. Among the various prescriptions for treating cough and asthma in ancient and modern times, the two are often used together, and the effectiveness of relieving cough and reducing phlegm is obvious.

【Ancient Book Abstract】

1. "Shennong's Herbal Classic": "It is used to treat cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and throat congestion."

2. "Ben Jing Feng Yuan" says: "It moistens the lungs and eliminates phlegm, stops cough and relieves wheezing."

3 . "Ben Jing Shu Zheng" states: "In Qian Jin and Wai Tai, nine out of ten prescriptions for treating cough, reverse cough and chronic cough use Zi Wan and Kuandong. However, the difference can also be roughly seen in Qian Jin and Wai Tai. For patients with spitting pus and blood and loss of voice, as well as those with wind, cold and water qi, Kuandong is not often used, but Zi Wan is used; Kuandong is often used together with warming agents and tonics."

【Modern Research】

1. Chemical composition: This product contains the bioalkalis coltsfoot alkaloids and senecioside; and the sesquiterpenoid components coltsfoot alkaloids, methylbutyrate coltsfoot alkaloids, deacetyl coltsfoot alkaloids; triterpenoid components coltsfoot diol and arnica diol; rutin, hyperoside, essential oils, amino acids and tannins, etc.

2. Pharmacological action: The decoction and ethanol extract have an antitussive effect, the acetic acid ethanol extract has an expectorant effect, a small amount of ether extract has a slight bronchodilator effect, and the alcohol and ether extracts have a respiratory stimulant effect. Ether extracts and decoctions have a blood pressure-raising effect; ether extracts can inhibit gastrointestinal smooth muscle and have an antispasmodic effect; extracts and coltsfoot extracts have an anti-platelet activating factor effect.

3. Clinical research: chewing the coltsfoot flower into a paste, applying it to a sterilized cloth and sticking it on the wound surface, cured 51 cases of chronic osteomyelitis with a total effective rate of 92% (New Chinese Medicine, 1989, 11:38)