In my last
article, I discussed some basic concepts for winter immune health in order
to prevent standard cold and flu presentations in the clinic.
This article will review the actual treatment of acute cold/flu presentations
and present ways to integrate Western herbs with TCM formulas to more
effectively treat and resolve symptoms.
One of the most common mistakes a clinician can make when presented with
standard cold/flu symptoms is to simply rely on one herb to treat the pattern.
It is not uncommon for me to see a patient referred by another practitioner who
was prescribed a single medicinal to treat a wind-cold or wind-heat pattern. A
single medicinal such as echinacea or oregano oil will not resolve a gan
mao pattern in most cases and if prescribed alone, can allow the pathogen
to penetrate deeper into the system resulting in a concomitant respiratory issue
as well. Not only is prescribing a single medicinal not effective in most cases,
it is also not professional TCM methodology.
One of the most common symptoms of cold/flu presentations is chills, fever
and body aches. I will not discuss standard TCM formulas to address gan
mao patterns, as I will assume that readers are familiar with or have
professional sources to consult for appropriate wind-cold or wind-heat patterns.
However, I would like to discuss three herbs that can be highly effective when
combined with appropriate TCM formulas vis a vis pattern differentiation. These
herbs are boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), lomatium (Lomatium
dissectum) and osha (Ligusticum porteri).
Boneset is a highly effective and vastly underutilized herb for wind-heat
presentations. Used extensively in Western eclectic medicine, boneset was
typically used when the patient presented with influenza symptoms with deep
aching pains, high fever, a large full pulse and hot damp skin. It was dosed as
a warm tea or tincture with frequent low doses until symptoms resolved. Boneset
is an excellent addition to standard TCM wind-heat formulas to hasten resolution
of symptoms. Dosing is typically 10-30 drops of tincture TID and/or 2-4 ounces
of warm tea TID. This can be added to TCM teas or taken with TCM patent
medicines with minimal trouble. Large doses can cause nausea, therefore it is
imperative for the clinician to explain that the "more is better" approach does
not apply with boneset. When combined with TCM formulas, the dose can be kept
low enough to avoid this issue easily.
Another herb that was historically used for influenza symptoms is lomatium.
This is a highly effective anti-viral and can be combined with TCM wind-heat
formulas to more effectively resolve symptoms. As with boneset, doses for
lomatium are very low, typically 10-20 drops of a tincture TID, used only until
symptoms resolve. Some individuals seem to develop a rash when using lomatium,
so discontinue use if this occurs. However when used with appropriate dose and
combined with TCM formulas, this can typically be avoided. In the history of
Western eclectic herbal medicine, lomatium was concerned a first-line medicinal
in all cases of influenza. Eclectic physicians would often build a formula
around this medicinal reflecting its effectiveness in treating and resolving
influenza symptoms.
The final herb I wish to present is osha. This is a prime herb for acute cold
and flu symptoms and was used extensively by Native Americans and eclectic
physicians alike for standard wind-cold presentations. Osha has a very warm and
drying nature and is excellent for use with cold, damp and stagnant respiratory
conditions or initial wind-cold presentations. It is typically dosed as a tea or
tincture at 10-40 drops TID or 2-4 ounces of tea TID. Osha, much like lomatium,
has an anti-viral activity. When combined with TCM formulas, the practitioner
can harmonize the warm drying nature of osha with other medicinals in order to
avoid potential constitutional aggravations. One of the main concerns when using
osha is the pattern of yin vacuity or liver yang rising. If
either of these patterns are in the background of a wind-cold or wind-heat
pattern, osha should either not be used or it must be combined with appropriate
TCM medicinals. I typically always combine osha with the TCM medicinal mai
men dong in order to avoid such issues. Osha has a particular tropism or
affinity to the lungs (much like jie geng) and is excellent for
preventing secondary respiratory complications of cold/flu presentations.
However please keep in mind the patient's underlying constitution or background
patterns when treating any acute presentation.
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