| Healthy living | |
| NOVEMBER |
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Sore throat In western medicine, a sore throat is also called „pharyngitis“. It is a well-known sickness with children as well with adults and consequently widespread. Unfortunately, the familiarity with the disease often misleads people not to take it seriously and not to get proper treatment in order to cure the sickness. As a consequence, an ordinary sore throat can evolve into a serious cold or a so called „angina lateralis“ which can be very painful and uncomfortable. Typical syndromes are a dry throat, sometimes followed by a rasping which can be especially painful when swallowing or speaking. These symptoms are usually accompanied by a slightly increased body temperature and a cold or a cough. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, an attack of wind exists in the case of sore throat. At the initial stage of the inflammation, a surplus of wind and cold exists which positions itself in the lungs. Symptoms are a scraping throat, light body shivering, a running nose with clear defluxion and sneezing. If this surplus is left without treatment, it usually evolves into a wind-heat surplus with the following symptoms: Sore throat, blocked nose with yellowish mucilage, fever, sweating, headache and pain in the limbs. In the following, four herbs which TCM doctors often prescribe to treat sore throat will be presented. Please do not take these herbs without having consulted a doctor first. Additional advice: In case of huskiness, get some relief by cooking a Pang Da Hai tea. Just put the Pang Da Hai in hot water, wait for 2-3 minutes and drink the water. Honeysuckle Flower or Japanese Bachflower(Jin Yin Hua金银花)  Jin Yin Hua means „Gold-Silver-Flower“ and it is an accurate description of this white and yellow limpet bush. There are about 200 different kinds of bachflowers worldwide, whereas all belong to the family of caprifoliaceae.This Japanese bachflower grows in temperate zones, preferably at sunny spots and has small, nice-smelling, yellowish-white blossoms and black berries. Considering the cultivation of the bush, be careful not to let him dry out - the soil over the roots should always be covered. The blossoms and stems of the Jin Yin Hua have been used for therapeutic purposes in China since the 7th century. They get harvested in early summer and are used dried and unprocessed. Within TCM, Jin Yin Hua is known as natural antibiotics and regarded as part of the heat cooling, antipyretic and toxin diverting medications. It helps to excrete hot toxin, banish hot wind from the blood and alleviate inflammations and pain. The areas of application mainly include the throat and the digestion, since these spheres of actions are connected to the lungs, the stomach, the heart, as well as the large intestine and the liver. Bachflowers usually have a sweet taste. Forsythia Fruit (Lianqiao 廉桥)  Lianqiao is a kind of forsythia. She is not to be mistaken with the European native ornamental shrub, forsythia intermedia, which also belongs to the family of forsythia and looks like it, but it is not suitable for medical use.The plant is winter resistant and easily to plant with few requirements towards the constitution of the soil. The plant prefers a sunny place, but also grows in half shady spots. The plant already has its first flowers during its first year of growth. In TCM, Lianqiao has been used for over 4000 years - especially for the cure of carbuncles, swollen lymph nodes, throat pain and fever because of its cooling and heat diverting effect. In the case of mumps, throat and tonsil inflammations, the forsythia fruit is especially detoxifying and helps to reduce swellings. She is antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and disinfecting. Lianqiao has a cooling effect, a bitter-spicy taste and has a positive impact on the heart, gall bladder, liver and the small intestine. Great Burdock Fruit (Niubangzi 牛蒡子)  Niubangzi is also very common in Europe and North America. In English, she is called „Great Burdock Fruit“. This type of burr has different names within China. In some regions, she is called „vegetable for the cattle“ since the cows tend to eat its leaves and roots.The part that is used for medicine is not the whole fruit but the seeds within the burr. The seeds are spicy, bitter and cold. They support the abolishment of heat in case of fever, shivering and skin rash. Moreover, the seeds have a moisturizing and detoxicating effect. The plant has a special relation to the throat. She is often used to cure throat pain with reddening and swelling as well as for the cure of coughing and fever. Great Burdock Fruit has a positive effect on the lung, the large intestine and the stomach. Balloon Flower Root (Jiegeng 桔梗)  The so called „Platycodnis Radix“ is commonly found in Korea but it also grows in China. The plant has blue-purple blossoms and it needs lots of sun. It is winter resistant and already blossoms within the first year of growth.
The root of the Balloon Flower Root is used to cure illnesses such as coughing, swellings in the throat and advanced cold. Generally said, the plant has a revulsive influence on the lungs, it is antibacterial, antifungal and mucus-dissolving. She is also prescribed for the cure of severe infections of the lungs; however, she has no curing effect in the case of tuberculosis. Her temperature is warm, her taste is spicy and bitter. Jiegeng has a strong effect on the lungs, the large intestine and the stomach. Her effectiveness may be harmed through the near-time consumption of pork meat. If you have questions about these herbs and the treatment with herbal remedies in general, please feel free to contact us. We are very happy to assist! |
