Traditional Chinese Medicine: Cold & Flu Formulas

Video Transcript

"One question that I get asked a lot is whether there is a particular formula that a person can take for colds and flu. Ultimately, it's always best if herbs are prescribed by a practitioner trained in Chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbs, but there's certain formulas that are pretty easy to take when we're dealing with a situational short term issue. So, unless you have a serious medical problem or are on prescription medications, these are formulas that you can probably take on your own if you've got a local outlet for these things. So for colds and flu, one of my favorite starting points is gong mau ling wong. This is a very simple formula that can be used for pretty much anything associated with colds and flu. When we start to get more focused on specific symptoms, sore throat. What I like to talk about, swallowing razor blades, is a very common problem. So trunjin pinalang is a commonly used formula. This is a tough one because it's pretty bitter tasting. So have your water handy when you swallow that. For the first 24-36 hours of a cold, one of our more famous formulas is yin chow jadeupian. These are just small tablets that can be taken for that first "I think I'm catching something but I'm not quite sure". Somebody just sneezed near you and you want to take some precautions. Even before airline travel. Another formula, it's easier to get kids to take sometimes, is banlangun chong chi. Which is actually in small individual serving packets. And these are actually sugar extractions of the herb. So we add this to hot water and it makes it, because it is sweet, it's very easy for children to swallow sometimes. If you're diabetic or worried about blood sugar issues at all, I don't recommend this. So, if you are dealing with colds and flu, make sure that it's safe for you. Ask a practitioner or just keep these in your medicine cabinet so that they're handy for when you need them."