How does Chinese medicine treat cough?

Cough is a common symptom and one of the respiratory diseases. The main causes of cough are bacterial infection, virus infection, cold and allergy, and cough is divided into many types, and the treatment methods of different types of cough are also different. So, how does Chinese medicine treat cough? How does TCM treat different types of cough?

1, how does Chinese medicine treat cough?

1. Lung-heat cough: Lung-heat cough generally manifests as red cough face, sticky phlegm, sore throat, dry throat, constipation and other symptoms. And children usually like to eat greasy food. At this time, we need to choose traditional Chinese medicine, such as ephedra, gypsum, licorice, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, almond and so on. The commonly used Chinese patent medicine is sunflower brand oral liquid for children with lung heat and cough, which is based on Maxing Shigan decoction and Baihu decoction. It is a representative drug for treating cough caused by lung heat in children, and has a good effect of clearing lung and stomach heat.

2. Wind-heat cough: This kind of cough is characterized by yellow and thick phlegm, fever, nasal turbidity and thirst. At this time, it is best to choose traditional Chinese medicines with the functions of dispelling wind and clearing heat, dispersing lung qi and relieving cough, such as mint, mulberry leaves, scutellaria baicalensis, peucedanum, chrysanthemum, forsythia and so on. Commonly used drugs are generally based on the prescription of Sangju Yin.

3. Dry lung cough: Dry cough usually occurs in autumn, characterized by less phlegm, dry nose and mouth, and hoarse voice. Commonly used Chinese herbal medicines include Scrophularia, Ophiopogon japonicus and Rehmannia glutinosa. In addition to choosing some drugs, lung dryness and cough can also be matched with ingredients such as Sydney, white radish and lily, which can moisten the lungs and relieve cough and heat.

4. Wind-cold cough: The most typical symptoms of wind-cold cough are white sputum, chills and stuffy nose. To treat cough due to wind-cold, it is advisable to use traditional Chinese medicines with the effect of expelling wind and dispelling cold, such as Chinese patent medicines containing almond, perilla, peucedanum, platycodon grandiflorum and Pinellia ternata, such as Xuan Tong Li Fei Pill.

2. Ways to relieve your baby's cough

1. Inhale warm and humid air for the baby: the suitable room temperature is 20℃, and the indoor humidity should be kept at 60% ~ 65%. It is best to hang a hygrometer in the room for easy observation. Dry in winter and spring. Humidify or dry clothes and towels indoors with a humidifier. When you cough violently and have phlegm in your throat, let your child inhale steam or sit in the bathroom with your child, turn on hot water and let warm and humid steam enter the airway.

2, hot drinks to relieve cough: drinking more warm drinks can make phlegm thinner and easy to cough up. It is best to let children drink warm boiled water or warm milk, rice soup, etc. Also give children fresh juice mixed with warm water. Juice should be apple juice or pear juice with less irritation, and citrus juices such as orange juice and grapefruit juice should be avoided.

3, raise the baby's head at night: when the child lies flat, the secretions of the nose and sinuses will flow to the throat, causing the throat to itch, causing the cough at night to increase, while the head is raised, which can reduce the backward drainage of nasal secretions. You can put a pillow under your baby's mattress to raise his head position.

4, hot water bottle back cough: hot water bottle back can relieve cough symptoms. Fill a hot water bottle with hot water of about 40℃, wrap it with a thin towel, and then apply it to the back near the lungs, which can speed up the cold and relieve cough quickly.

5. Help the baby cough: If the baby coughs when he is awake, you can pick him up, touch his back and pat him gently. Cough when you fall asleep. You can raise your upper body and lie on your side, and put a cushion or pillow on your child's shoulder and back. Let the baby sleep alternately left and right, which is conducive to the discharge of respiratory secretions.

Don't lie down and sleep immediately after feeding a coughing baby to prevent aspiration caused by coughing and spitting milk. If you inhale by mistake and cough, you should immediately turn your head to a low position, pat your back, encourage coughing, and cough up the inhalation.