Three Formulas for Cough with Yellow, Thick, Viscous Sputum
Cough caused by lung heat produces yellow, thick, foul-smelling sputum, and in severe cases may contain blood streaks. The patient has a red face, hot air exhaled from the nose, dry and painful throat, dry mouth and parched tongue, yellow greasy tongue coating; some patients also have fever and constipation. TCM treatment of such conditions follows the approach of clearing lung heat, resolving phlegm, and stopping cough. This article introduces three formulas for lung-heat cough.
Formula 1: Qingjin Huatan Tang (Metal-Clearing and Phlegm-Resolving Decoction, from Zabing Guangyao)
Composition: Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) and Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus), 1.5 qian each (4.5 g); Jiegeng (Platycodi Radix), 2 qian (6 g); Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix), Beimu (Fritillariae Bulbus), Juhong (Citri Exocarpium Rubrum), and Fuling (Poria), 3 qian each (9 g); Sangbaipi (Mori Cortex), Zhimu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma), and Gualouren (Trichosanthis Semen, stir-fried), 1 qian each (3 g); Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix), 4 fen (1.2 g). Add one bowl (400 ml) of water, boil down to eight-tenths (320 ml), strain out dregs. Take warm after meals, twice daily.
Formula 2: Qingjin Ningfei Wan (Metal-Clearing and Lung-Calming Pill, from Waike Zhengzong)
Composition: Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), Fuling (Poria), Jiegeng (Platycodi Radix), Beimu (Fritillariae Bulbus), Renshen (Ginseng), and Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), 5 qian each (15 g); Maimendong (Ophiopogonis Radix), Digupi (Lycii Cortex), Yinchaihu (Stellariae Radix), Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Baishao (Paeoniae Alba Radix), and Huhuanglian (Picrorhizae Rhizoma), 6 qian each (18 g); Wuweizi (Schisandrae Fructus), Tianmendong (Asparagi Radix), Shengdihuang (Rehmanniae Radix), Shudihuang (Rehmanniae Praeparata), Dangguishen (Angelicae Sinensis Radix, body), and Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), 1 liang each (30 g); Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix), 3 qian (9 g). Grind all the above into fine powder, make pills with refined honey, the size of a Chinese parasol tree seed. Take 70 pills each time after meals, washed down with plain boiled water, twice daily.
Formula 3: Qingzhi Huohua Wan (Lung-Clearing and Fire-Draining Pill, from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, Vol. I, 2005 edition)
Composition: Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) 140 g; Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus) 80 g; Zhimu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma) 60 g; Zhebeimu (Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus) 90 g; Huangbai (Phellodendri Cortex) 40 g; Kushen (Sophorae Flavescentis Radix) 60 g; Jiegeng (Platycodi Radix) 80 g; Qianhu (Peucedani Radix) 40 g; Tianhuafen (Trichosanthis Radix) 80 g; Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) 120 g. Crush all the above into fine powder, sift, and mix well. Pan-pellet with water and dry to make water pills. Or add 130-150 g of refined honey per 100 g of powder to make large honey pills, each weighing 9 g. Take 6 g of water pills or 1 large honey pill each time.
The above three formulas have similar prescribing logic, all composed of herbs that clear lung heat, nourish yin and moisten the lung, stop cough and resolve phlegm. Formula 1 focuses on stopping cough and resolving phlegm; Formula 2 additionally clears heat and reduces fever; Formula 3 additionally alleviates constipation; the other indications are basically similar. Patients may choose the appropriate formula according to their clinical symptoms.
Among them, Qingzhi Huohua Wan is available as a ready-made Chinese patent medicine for sale. The pills of Formula 2 need to be prepared by the patient themselves according to the method; Formula 2 can also be changed to a decoction, using one-third of the original dose for each herb. Formula 1 requires the patient to decoct the medicine themselves. If the patient repeatedly has the above symptoms, it is mostly due to chronic respiratory inflammation, and it is appropriate to use Qingjin Ningfei Wan or Qingzhi Huohua Wan for slow treatment.