Let’s be prepared. Let’s start filling our medicine cabinets with TCM home remedies for the winter cold and flu season.
First, the two most commonly used foundation formulas…
Forsythia
Yin Qiao San (or Yin Qiao Jie Du Pian/ Lonicera & Forsythia Tablets) has been relied upon by practitioners for many, many years to combat the first signs of cold and influenza. It was originally formulated in 1798. Yin Qiao San directly resolves ‘heat toxins’ with two herbs: Flos Lonicera(Honeysuckle)/ Jin Yin Hua and Fructus Forsythis(Forsythia)/ Lian Qiao. They make up 36% of the formula. What, you ask, are ‘heat toxins’? In TCM/Chinese herbal medicine lingo, they are the viruses causing upper respiratory infections. The ‘toxins’ that cause a fever (heat) response or worse if they develop. The rest of the herbs in the formula reduce fever, clear sore throat and push the heat toxins ‘to the surface’ and out of the body. Since the formula’s active ingredients do all this, Yin Qiao San has been the foundation formula for pediatric measles and chicken pox.
Then, a formula from the modern times – Gan Mao Ling (Common Cold Effective Remedy). Only three decades old, not three centuries. Gan Mao Ling surpasses Yin Qiao San in treating the common cold and the other upper respiratory infections. It is faster and more effective. Why? Because of four herbs – Radix Ilex/ Gang Mei Gen, Radix Evodia/ San Cha Ku, Radix Isatis/ Ban Lan Gen and Flos Lonicera/ Jin Yin Hua . These herbs are specifically anti-viral and make up 74% of the formula. So much of this formula is devoted to directly attacking the common cold virus, TWICE as much as Yin Qiao San. This formula has taken the lead in treating colds and flu. Its extensive and repeated use supports the findings of modern research.
If you have one or both of these formulas in your medicine cabinet, you are on your way to Taking Care of Colds and Flu anytime and every time.
Honeysuckle
At that first predictive sign of a cold or the flu (scratchy throat, sneeze, cough, running nose), begin dosing with one of these two core formulas. If you don’t notice the symptoms until they are developing, begin dosing. Either way, do it right away!
We will keep going as the blogs tumble out, reviewing formulas for combining and enhancing the two core formulas. And at the end, we’ll have what you might call a ‘legend’ to our awesome herbal pharmacy medicinals for treating colds, flu, sore throats, cough, runny nose, mucus, fever and more. You might think of it as a ‘cheat sheet’. Just as I have been blogging about what to include in your ‘Green First Aid Kit’, I’m hoping you’ll be stocking your medicine cabinets with these formulas that cure colds and flu and fever and other acute conditions so you can remedy yourself and your family at home.