Herbal Therapy Question

Ana,

Well, that is THE question, isn't it?
You know, I generally find that the only people I treat with colds (and this is probably true for most practitioners in North America) are people who are coming because they get sick a lot and it usually lingers for a long time. In other words, they are 'run down'. (One reason that Blue Poppy's Cold Quell is good for these people is precisely because it supports the righteous Qi and dispels evil invasion concurrently). So I can say with some certainty that those patients have benefited highly from the formulas I recommended - their experiences of recovery have been faster than was customary for them.

For a fully healthy person who rarely gets sick and typically gets over it fast, I rarely see them but if I do (perhaps they are coming for something else and happen to get sick while seeing me), my inclination is to simply say 'go home and rest'.

Daniel

This is a good question. I have often wondered if letting the cold run its course is the best thing as well. It seems once you get a cold, herbs don't help it get much better any faster. They are good at preventing colds, but not so much with once you get one--at least in my experience.

It seems that most people taking herbs have symtoms of their cold lasting just as long as normal colds would run anyway--such as sore throats lasting on average 3-4 days, and runny noses about a week, and if a cough develops, that lasting about a week. It seems herbs help to boost the immune system before you get sick to help make the course shorter if you're strong...

Again, I am just speaking to the common cold, as I think herbs are much more effective in other illnesses.

I hope an experienced practitioner can help speak to this!

Often when a person gets a cold, there is disharmony with the lung afterwards, eg. the bulk of the cold is gone but there is still some lingering symptoms.

This is why it is good to use herbs even when you have already got the cold happening in full swing.

As for the patents you are using, perhaps you could consider getting a raw herb prescription that would be better tailored to your pattern.

for common fever cold: take “Ma Huang Tang"(if no sweat) , "gui zhi tang (if sweat),

for common wind heat cold: take " Yin Qiao San" or "Sang Ju Yin" if lung heat + "Huang Qin", if dry mouth + "Tian Hua Fen"

Gan mao ling is also good for common cold