What Chinese medicine can help soothe the throat?

Have you felt the cold winter? The dry climate in winter causes many symptoms in our throats, such as dry, itchy and painful throats, and hoarseness when speaking. These are mainly caused by the lack of moisture in the throat. If we want to moisten the throat in winter, we still rely on these Chinese herbal ingredients. So what Chinese herbal medicine is good for moisturizing the throat? How can moisturizing the throat help with redness?

Drinking Chinese medicine instead of tea can prevent pharyngitis attacks

In addition to lozenges, some Chinese herbal medicines are also favorites of patients with chronic pharyngitis. For example, many pharyngitis patients try to drink water soaked with sterculia lychnophora, monk fruit, licorice, honeysuckle, etc.

In this regard, Peng Yuqing, director of the Sub-Health Department of the Oriental Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, pointed out that honeysuckle has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, and is suitable for patients with sore throat or acute pharyngitis; several other medicines have the effect of clearing the throat and moisturizing dryness, and can be taken for a long time for people with chronic pharyngitis. Therefore, patients with chronic pharyngitis can drink it frequently and slowly.

However, Li Jian, director of the Traditional Medicine Department of the Prevention and Treatment Center of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, also reminded that honeysuckle is sweet and cold in nature and does not harm the spleen and stomach. It can be mixed with chrysanthemum and golden lotus to make tea, and rock sugar can be added for flavoring. Honeysuckle is suitable for people with a balanced constitution or internal heat.

However, people with weak spleen and stomach (such as frequent stomach pain, diarrhea, cold abdomen, cold hands and feet) should not soak honeysuckle in water. Moreover, soaking honeysuckle in water is similar to brewing tea, it only needs to be brewed two or three times, and it should not be consumed after overnight.

In addition, licorice can clear away heat and detoxify, moisten the lungs, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough, and is used to treat symptoms such as sore throat. Those diagnosed by Traditional Chinese Medicine as suffering from dampness obstruction, nausea, and edema should not take the medicine, so it is best to consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner before taking it.

If the patient has weak spleen and stomach and insufficient qi, it is often used together with ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos. When used for sore throat and pharyngitis, it can be decocted and taken alone, or used together with Platycodon grandiflorum to increase the effect of detoxification and relieving throat pain.

Sterculia lychnophora is suitable for hoarseness due to lung heat, sore throat, etc. After pharyngitis, itchy throat, or chronic pharyngitis occurs, drinking tea made from Sterculia lychnophora can produce fluid and moisten dryness, resolve phlegm and relieve cough, nourish yin and moisten the lungs, and effectively prevent discomfort such as dry throat.

3 to 5 pieces are often used to make a drink by soaking in boiling water, or to make a drink with rock sugar, or to make a tea with platycodon grandiflorum and honey. However, experts remind that Plantago ovata is sweet and cold in nature, and should not be taken for a long time. It is not suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach, spleen and kidney yang deficiency, chronic colitis, or loose stools.

In addition, Sterculia lychnophora is mainly suitable for sore throat and hoarseness caused by wind-heat and lung dryness, so it is not suitable for hoarseness caused by wind-cold and lung and kidney yin deficiency. If you have difficulty identifying yourself, it is best to consult a Chinese medicine practitioner.

In addition to taking some important medicines, we can also drink more tea made with licorice, which can relieve cough and reduce phlegm, clear away heat and detoxify, and also replenish the body's carbohydrates in large quantities. These Chinese medicines are not only very effective, but also can relieve cough and reduce phlegm.