Cough is a common symptom that can signal various health issues, from colds to chronic conditions. Traditional Chinese Medicine views cough as a disruption in lung health due to external factors like cold or heat. Recently, long-lasting dry coughs, often linked to COVID-19 or influenza, have challenged conventional treatments, highlighting the need for traditional approaches to manage these persistent symptoms.
Cough is the most common reason for patients to seek medical treatment in the outpatient setting. Cough can be a warning sign of respiratory or non-respiratory diseases. According to previous clinical manifestations, dry cough symptoms generally appear in the late stages of a cold. It is commonly believed that gastroesophageal reflux, post-nasal drip, or asthma can cause chronic cough. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), when the lungs are attacked by cold or heat, the alveolar mucosal tissue spasms. This leads to spasmodic cough in the bronchus, accompanied by sticky sputum or no sputum, and the symptoms lasts about a week. The current symptoms of dry cough are different from those in the past. Most patients with dry cough have a history of COVID-19 or influenza, and a few have vaccine sequelae. The duration of dry cough for those suffering from COVID-19 or influenza usually lasts for more than 3-4 weeks, and some patients may experience dry cough symptoms for months or even years. This kind of dry cough is called viral dry cough. The main reason why the currently popular dry cough symptoms cannot be treated with traditional cough syrups is that the causes of previous coughs and the currently popular dry coughs are different, and the classification of dry coughs is different.
Covid-19 virus often remains dormant in the body, and in some cases, it is possible that Covid latent viruses are reactivated, causing Covid symptoms amongst patients. When these viruses remain dormant in the patient's body, and the patient's immunity declines or the weather changes, these viruses will become active. At the baseline, the patient has constant dry cough and rarely produces sputum; and if the patient's immunity begins to increase, the anti-viral ability begins to increase, and the virus is in a dormant state, tentatively determined to be below the 60 -point level, then the symptoms of dry cough will weaken or even disappear. In this way, dry cough symptoms recur, and the patient is constantly disturbed.
It is widely recognized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that cough is a symptom with which the lung reacts to a form of irritation, which is considered as a ‘lung counterflow qi.’ In TCM, the lungs disperse and regulate Qi. Their proper functioning is dependent on the harmonious relationship with other organs, particularly the spleen and kidneys, which can sometimes be disrupted by external pathogens or internal disharmonies. Phlegm in the lung is created through damp obstruction of the middle jiao, arising from inadequate functioning of the spleen. Phlegm stagnation in the lung leads to failure of lung qi to descend, coughing cough, dyspnea, or wheezing, stifling sensations in the chest, and profuse sputum.
As a method to treat cough symptoms, TCM traditionally teaches that clam and snow pear soup can cure cough symptoms but this is not the case. The reason is that the sugar in fruits or desserts will accelerate the reproduction rate of dry cough viruses, and aggravate dry cough. Some customers will choose "Golden Throat" to treat throat pain, but since it contains sugar, the results are inconclusive. Sugar will accelerate the reproduction rate of dry cough viruses and cause throat pain to worsen. If we go back to the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), eating sugar will damage the spleen, the spleen will generate dampness, and the dampness will generate phlegm. This explanation differs from biochemical theory, but the result is the same.
According to TCM, iff the patient’s pulse speed is about 70 times a minute, combined with cough symptoms, the condition is diagnosed as a cold cough. Cold cough can also be diagnosed by looking at the color of the tongue coating. White tongue coating or no tongue coating indicates cold cough. The color of the sputum also indicates cold or hot cough. White phlegm or no phlegm indicates cold cough. Lastly, the color of the nasal mucus indicates cold cough or hot cough. If the phlegm is white or there is no phlegm, combined with cough symptoms, the condition is a cold cough. The present invention’s composition is at least therapeutically effective in treating cold cough and dry cough.
For patients with dry cough, they are usually presented with tiredness, sleepiness, fatigue, weakness, lack of energy, and lack of concentration. This is also a typical symptom of the sequelae of COVID-19. For patients with dry cough, replenishing qi and blood, and restoring physical strength will improve immunity and reduces dry cough symptoms. Even when the symptoms of dry cough are cured, it will take at least three months for the patient to regain his previous physical strength. To completely eliminate dry cough, TCM should aim to regulate the spleen and stomach, strengthen the kidneys and replenish deficiency, moisten the lungs and replenish qi, strengthens the heart and replenish the yang, replenish Qi and blood. Especially for patients who are physically weak, accompanied by loss of appetite, or even eating less, they should focus on replenishing Qi. For patients who have developed chronic pneumonia or Cor pulmonale and rely on oxygen tanks, TCM should aim to increase the regeneration capacity of alveolar cells and get rid of oxygen cylinder supply as soon as possible.
Fuheng Herbs offer Cough Tea which involves a composition of up to 15 herbal ingredients to alleviate the long Covid symptoms. The herbal ingredients combine to create a synergy to suppress cough symptoms, improve the circulation of Qi and blood, and balances the forces of Yin and Yang. Fuheng Coughing Tea provides a novel mixture of the ingredients, including unique processing, extraction, and purification methods for optimizing efficacy of the herbal ingredients.
According to the theories of TCM, the spleen produces phlegm and the lung stores phlegm. Cough, profusion of sputum and lung qi reversal occurs when the spleen does not properly dissolve dampness. The herbal composition works to improve balance between wet and dry to reduce and eliminate phlegm.
In a TCM clinical research setting, the composition of the present invention was administered to patients with cold cough and dry cough, about 95% to 98% of the patients experience the relief of cough symptoms within two to three weeks. In one study, an elementary school student was experiencing a cold and exhibited symptoms of cough and white phlegm. During TCM pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis, it was found that the lung meridian is weak and blocked, the student was experiencing dry cough, which worsened between 11pm and 2am. The student was administered with a total of 10 bottles of the composition, 2 bottles a day, and the symptoms were relieved.
In another case study, a TCM patient was complaining of swelling and pain in the right chest, caught a cold and developed fever, dizziness, tiredness, weakness, and tinnitus. The patient also had cold hands. The symptoms of cough showed dry cough, with white phlegm and the cough worsened at night. The pulse diagnosis showed that the lung and kidney meridians were weak and liver meridian was blocked. The patient was administered with a total of 7 bottles of the composition, 2 bottles a day, and the symptoms were relieved.