A Simple Two-Herb Formula That Treats Cough, Lowers Blood Pressure, and Relieves Headache
The late Zhu Chenyu, former director of the TCM Department at Beijing Union Medical College Hospital and a well-known veteran TCM physician, once mentioned that he had treated an elderly woman with a long-unresolved cough. She had been treated by several doctors without effect, and was later cured by a single simple formula, which Dr. Zhu later obtained. The formula is very simple: use equal amounts of the Chinese herbs Gouteng (Uncaria) and Bohe (peppermint), frequently steeped in boiling water and drunk as a tea.
Dr. Zhu Chenyu told this story to his disciples, who recorded the formula. Dr. Zhu believed that Gouteng is sweet and cold, enters the Liver and Heart meridians, extinguishes wind and relieves spasm, and gently clears heat. Bohe is pungent and cool, enters the Lung and Liver meridians, releases the exterior and clears heat, and aromatically disperses wind. The two herbs paired together clear the lung and pacify the liver, disperse wind and clear heat, soothe the throat and stop cough. Because the herbs are steeped in boiling water, their light, upward nature is preserved; the combination is suitable for lung-liver wind-heat, itchy throat, dry throat, and long-unresolved cough. Thereafter, whenever Dr. Zhu encountered this pattern, the formula proved quite effective.
In this formula, Gouteng has a good blood-pressure-lowering effect. TCM holds that its function is to extinguish wind and relieve spasm; it mainly treats pediatric convulsions, night crying, wind stirred by intense heat, and paralysis. Bohe is pungent and cool, releases the exterior and clears heat, refreshes the head and brightens the eyes, and has a good vasodilating effect. The pair is very suitable for headache, elevated blood pressure, and cough and wheezing caused by vasoconstriction. Its applications can actually be broadened further. I have not only used it for long-unresolved cough and wheezing, but also extended its use to hypertension, allergic rhinitis, wind-heat type common cold, and even depression, with good results.
This small, simple formula is not to be underestimated. Any patient who feels unexplained head stuffiness and distending pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and the resulting irritability, depression, and insomnia, may try taking it. Cough and wheezing, especially the dry cough without phlegm type, can all be treated with this formula.
In addition, this formula is very suitable as a medicinal tea for cancer patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, oral cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, or brain tumors. Modern pharmacology has confirmed that rhynchophylline (gouteng jian) contained in Gouteng has an inhibitory effect on various cancer cells.
This formula has a strong diuretic effect. After taking it myself, I found its diuretic effect very good. Common blood-pressure medications generally have a strong diuretic effect; nowadays, when treating pleural or ascites in cancer patients, I also combine this small formula with the routine water-draining and swelling-reducing prescriptions. Generally, Bohe is used at 6–12 g and Gouteng at 6–30 g. In a decoction, both must be added later (hou xia), placed in the pot after the other herbs are nearly done and decocted for another five minutes, because the active constituents of Gouteng and Bohe do not tolerate prolonged boiling. The above medication experience is offered for readers' reference.