Common Cold
The common cold is a mild, self-limiting upper respiratory tract infection. It is characterized primarily by catarrhal symptoms affecting the nose and pharynx, such as nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, fever, cough, and headache. Common pathogens include rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, coxsackieviruses, and adenoviruses, with rhinoviruses and coronaviruses being the most common.
The disease name “感冒” (common cold) was used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as early as the Song dynasty. TCM regards the common cold as a mild exogenous illness, primarily caused by exposure to wind, sometimes combined with cold, heat, dampness, or deficiencies of yin, yang, qi, or blood. The disease mainly affects the lung and its defensive qi, usually lasts 3–7 days, and rarely transforms into another pattern. In TCM, this condition falls within the categories of “冒风” (wind invasion) and “伤风” (wind-cold).
Western and Chinese medicine have broadly similar understandings of the clinical presentation and natural course of the common cold.
TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Guide
| Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Fever, aversion to cold, nasal congestion, sneezing, headache, body aches, clear nasal discharge, no dry mouth, thin white tongue coating
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Fever, or feeling cold and shivery
- A blocked nose, sneezing, and clear, watery nasal discharge
- Headache and body aches
- No dry mouth and little thirst
- A thin white coating on the tongue
| Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Release the exterior with acrid, warming methods; diffuse the lung and dispel cold
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Use warming, pungent Chinese herbs or methods to encourage mild sweating and help the body dispel external wind-cold
- Promote the flow of lung qi and dispel internal cold to ease discomfort associated with exposure to cold, such as nasal congestion, cough, chills, and body aches
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The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Fever, aversion to cold, nasal congestion, sneezing, headache, body aches, yellow nasal discharge, dry mouth, sore throat, thin yellow tongue coating
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Fever, with chills and feeling cold
- A blocked nose, sneezing, and thick yellow nasal discharge
- Headache and body aches
- Dry mouth, thirst, and a sore throat
- A thin yellow coating on the tongue
| Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Release the exterior with acrid, cool methods; disperse wind and clear heat
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Use cooling, pungent Chinese herbs or methods to encourage mild sweating and help the body dispel external “wind-heat”
- Clear heat and disperse the pathogen to ease wind-heat symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion and discharge, and cough
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Fever, aversion to cold, nasal congestion, sneezing, headache, body aches, dry lips and nose, dry throat and, in more severe cases, sore throat, dry cough, red tongue tip, thin dry white or thin yellow tongue coating, floating or floating rapid pulse
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Fever, with chills and feeling cold
- A blocked nose and sneezing
- Headache and body aches or heaviness
- Dry lips and nose
- A dry throat that may become sore
- Dry cough with little or no phlegm
- A reddish tongue tip, with a thin, dry white coating or a thin yellow coating
- The pulse feels superficial and slightly rapid
| Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Disperse and vent with acrid, cool methods; moisten dryness and generate fluids
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Use cooling, mildly pungent methods to help disperse “heat” from the body’s exterior and ease discomfort such as fever, headache, sore throat, and nasal congestion
- Also moisten dryness and replenish body fluids to ease dry mouth, dry throat, and dry cough with little phlegm
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Fever, aversion to cold, nasal congestion, sneezing, headache, body aches, nausea, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, thick and greasy tongue coating
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Fever, with chills and feeling cold
- A blocked nose and sneezing
- Headache and body aches
- Nausea or feeling like vomiting
- Abdominal bloating and discomfort
- Diarrhea
- A relatively thick, sticky tongue coating
| Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Release the exterior and transform dampness; regulate qi and harmonize the middle
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Encourage mild sweating to disperse external “dampness associated with a cold” and ease discomfort such as heaviness in the head and body, nasal congestion, excess phlegm, a sticky feeling in the mouth, and diarrhea
- Regulate qi and support normal digestive function to ease bloating, nausea, vomiting, belching, poor appetite, and abdominal discomfort
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
| Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Fever, aversion to cold, nasal congestion, sneezing, headache, body aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, reluctance to speak, pale tongue with a thin white coating
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Fever, with chills and feeling cold
- A blocked nose and sneezing
- Headache and body aches
- Fatigue and low energy
- Some shortness of breath, or getting winded easily with activity
- Little desire to speak, with a soft voice
- A pale-colored tongue with a thin white coating
| Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Boost qi and release the exterior; harmonize the nutritive and defensive aspects
Plain-Language Explanation:
- Gently “tonify qi” to support energy and the body’s resistance, encourage mild sweating, and help dispel the external pathogen causing the cold
- Then harmonize the balance between “nutritive qi” (nourishing fluids) and “defensive qi” (the body’s defense function) to address fatigue, easy sweating, and sensitivity to wind, and reduce recurrences
| Related Products
The products below are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
References
- Xiao Yi, Cai Baiqiang. Routine Diagnosis and Treatment in Respiratory Medicine [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2012.
- Ge Junbo, Xu Yongjian. Internal Medicine [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2014.
- Zhang Boli. A Guide to the Rational Clinical Use of Chinese Patent Medicines [M]. Beijing: China Classics Publishing House, 2011.