Fight your cold or flu with traditional Chinese medicine. Here how. (2024)

Fight your cold or flu with traditional Chinese medicine. Here how. (8)

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  • The flu shot reduces your risk of getting the flu by about 50 percent.
  • For most people, any side effects of the flu shot are mild and go away on their own in a few days.
  • If you have young children getting the flu shot for the first time, they will need two doses, four weeks apart.

When you or someone in your family is sick with a cold or flu, all you want to do is kick the sickness to the curb as fast as possible. Using Chinese Medicine or traditional medicine can help you strengthen your body's defenses to prevent illnesses and get better more quickly when an illness does take hold.

Strengthen your body to prevent getting sick

Chinese Medicine instructs us to tone the Defensive Qi(pronounced "chee")

  1. Wash and moisturize your hands often. Your skin is one of your first defenses against pathogens—a term used for any cause of disease, be it a virus, bacteria or wind-cold or wind-heat.
  2. Get plenty of sleep. Ideally, try for eight to nine uninterrupted hours each night.
  3. Eat foods that are nourishing and easy to digest. Choose broth-based soups and stews, cooked grains and vegetables and organic meat. Replace coffee with green tea. Eat slowly, focusing on the sensuality of your food.
  4. Manage your stress, meditate and breathe. Try setting aside five minutes out of your busy day to take deep breaths.
  5. Bundle up. Wear your warmest clothes and keep your skin and nose protected from the wind.

Manage the attack

Expel the pathogens

  1. Decide whether symptoms are "hot" or "cold." In Chinese Medicine "cold" symptoms include sneezing, runny nose with clear or white phlegm, itchy throat, coughing up clear or white mucus, and an achy body. If you have them, Chinese Medicine says the pathogen is "wind-cold." "Hot" symptoms include sore throat, more fever than chills, thirst, nasal congestion with yellow phlegm, and coughing up yellow mucus. These symptoms mean the pathogen is "wind-heat." This knowledge will help you to know how to proceed with foods and herbs.
  2. Eat and drink to expel the pathogens. Eat plenty of broth-based soups and rice. Drink warm liquids. If your symptoms are more "wind-cold," add ginger, cinnamon, green onion and garlic to your foods. If your symptoms are more "wind-heat," drink lots of peppermint tea and eat cooling fruits, like oranges and other citrus fruits. In both cases, avoid dairy, sugars/sweets and rich or fried foods.
  3. Get cozy and rest. Keep wearing your warmest clothes and keep your skin and nose protected from the wind. This will help the body to sweat—a primary way that the body expels the pathogens. Rest. Sleep. Let the body use most of its energy to fight the pathogen.
  4. Consult with a licensed acupuncturist. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help in shortening the duration of an illness.
  5. And finally, know when it is time to consult your family doctor. If you have an extremely high fever or any fever that lasts more than three days, if wheezing develops, or you are finding it harder and harder to breathe—go see your doctor.

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Fight your cold or flu with traditional Chinese medicine. Here how. (10)

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Fight your cold or flu with traditional Chinese medicine. Here how. (2024)

FAQs

Fight your cold or flu with traditional Chinese medicine. Here how.? ›

If your symptoms are more "wind-cold," add ginger, cinnamon, green onion and garlic to your foods. If your symptoms are more "wind-heat," drink lots of peppermint tea and eat cooling fruits, like oranges and other citrus fruits. In both cases, avoid dairy, sugars/sweets and rich or fried foods.

What is the Chinese herb for colds? ›

For a Wind-Heat cold specifically, one of the most powerful and famous Chinese herbal formulas is Yin Chiao. It is named after two hero ingredients JinYin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower) and Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit).

What is the Chinese herbal formula for the flu? ›

Herbal formulas: Gan Mao Ling – while technically for wind-heat, the formula is effective at the initial onset of any cold or flu symptoms (the first day or at exposure). Yin Chiao Formula (Honeysuckle & Forsythia) – this is for the onset of a cold with a sore throat or fever.

Does Chinese cold medicine work? ›

Traditional Chinese medicine can be an effective approach to cold and flu care and prevention, either on its own or in combination with Western medicine. An ancient tradition with a rich history and intricate healing processes, Chinese medicine offers alternatives to fend off illnesses like colds.

What Chinese tea is good for a cold? ›

Licorice root tea

Licorice has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for centuries, and has been shown to have powerful cold-fighting benefits. This herbal ingredient has antiviral and antimicrobial properties, and to can help to soothe the symptoms of a cold and prevent further illness.

How to treat cold with Traditional Chinese Medicine? ›

Eat plenty of broth-based soups and rice. Drink warm liquids. If your symptoms are more "wind-cold," add ginger, cinnamon, green onion and garlic to your foods. If your symptoms are more "wind-heat," drink lots of peppermint tea and eat cooling fruits, like oranges and other citrus fruits.

How to cure a cold in one night? ›

How can I get rid of a cold in 24 hours? Unfortunately, there is still no known cure for the common cold. However, you can reduce the duration of your illness by taking some promising vitamins and supplements, as well as engaging in good self-care. This includes vitamin C, Zinc, echinacea, and probiotics.

Does traditional Chinese medicine really work? ›

Some psychological and/or physical approaches used in traditional Chinese medicine practices, such as acupuncture and tai chi, may help improve quality of life and certain pain conditions. Studies of Chinese herbal products used in traditional Chinese medicine for a range of medical conditions have had mixed results.

How quickly does Chinese medicine work? ›

How long does it take to see results with Chinese herbal medicine? In acute cases, some results can be seen the same day the formula is taken. In chronic conditions, results should begin to be seen within 2-3 weeks.

What is a Chinese massage for a cold? ›

Hui-Na massage:

The massage therapist applies pressure to the points on the body, such as the feet, hands, face, and ears. Hui-Na massage is very effective to treat cold and flu symptoms. Hui-Na massage is not suitable for people who are pregnant or have high blood pressure.

What tea clears mucus? ›

Peppermint helps by bringing up mucus that would be otherwise stuck in your lungs, bronchi, and trachea when you have a cold, relieving your throat pain with a refreshing effect. It also helps by reducing your fever.

What do Chinese people do when they are sick? ›

They may use foods, herbs and drink hot liquids to restore yin/yang balance. They will use traditional Chinese remedies as an initial approach for healing, especially during the early stages of illness.

What is Chinese medicine for cough and phlegm? ›

In China, pummelo peel (huajuhong) is one of the most widely used Chinese herbs for respiratory diseases. Animal experiments have shown that pummelo peel can eliminate phlegm and relieve coughing, while also having anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects [26–29].

What are the best Chinese herbs for congestion? ›

Simple decoction 2: Schizonepeta 10 g, perilla leaf (紫蘇葉 zǐ sū yè) 10 g, tea 6 g, and ginger 6 g are decocted together with water. Add 20 g brown sugar into the decoction. The decoction can be used to treat the wind-cold type common cold especially characterized by headache, fever, and a stuffy nose.

What herbs are used for colds? ›

Some herbs are naturally suited to relieving cold and flu symptoms such as coughs, sore throats and congestion. In fact, the use of catnip, cayenne, echinacea, garlic, ginger, peppermint, rosemary, thyme and yarrow dates back centuries to many different cultures across the world.

What herbs are cooling in Chinese medicine? ›

Heat-Clearing and Blood-Cooling Herbs
  • Xi Jiao (Cornu Rhinoceri)
  • Shui Niu Jiao (Cornu Bubali)
  • Huang Niu Jiao (Cornus Bovis)
  • Qing Niu Jiao Fen (Cornus Bovis)
  • Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae)
  • Xian Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Recens)
  • Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae)
  • Mu Dan Pi (Cortex Moutan)

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