"Western medicine treats symptoms, while traditional Chinese medicine treats the root cause." This means that Western medicine is effective in providing quick relief, but it often comes with side effects and does not cure the disease at its core. On the other hand, traditional Chinese medicine takes longer to show results but has fewer side effects. It focuses on nurturing the body from within to achieve long-term healing. Therefore, when it comes to urgent treatment, people turn to Western medicine, but for long-term healing, they seek traditional Chinese medicine. In the following article, I will introduce several Chinese herbal soups specifically designed to treat chronic bronchitis in the elderly. These soups help clear heat, moisten the lungs, and relieve cough and phlegm.
Herbal Soup 1: Radish and Egg Soup
Ingredients: 250g white radish, 2 eggs, 3 cloves of garlic, appropriate amount of sesame oil and seasonings.
Method: Cut the radish into shreds. Beat the eggs in a bowl and mix well. Crush the garlic and chop it into a paste. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and sauté the garlic paste until fragrant. Add the radish shreds and stir-fry briefly. Add water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Then add the beaten eggs, season with salt and monosodium glutamate, thicken the soup with a thin cornstarch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish with chopped green onions.
Effects: It clears lung heat, transforms phlegm, and nourishes the lungs and replenishes deficiency.
Indications: Suitable for elderly patients with lung deficiency cough, acute and chronic bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions.
Note: Avoid taking it simultaneously with other medications such as polygonum multiflorum and rehmannia.
Herbal Soup 2: Dried Cabbage, Bean Curd Sheets, and Red Date Soup
Ingredients: 300g dried cabbage, 50g bean curd sheets, 10 red dates.
Method: Put all the ingredients in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and cook into a soup. Season with oil and salt, and consume it as a meal.
Effects: It clears the lungs, moistens dryness, nourishes yin, and strengthens the stomach.
Indications: Suitable for the elderly with chronic bronchitis, dry cough in autumn and winter, and symptoms of stomach heat, intestinal dryness, and constipation.
Herbal Soup 3: Spare Rib and Ginkgo Soup
Ingredients: 500g spare ribs, 30g ginkgo, appropriate seasonings.
Method: Rinse the spare ribs, add cooking wine, ginger slices, and enough water, and simmer over low heat for 90 minutes. Shell the ginkgo nuts and add them to the soup. Season with salt and cook for another 10 minutes. Add monosodium glutamate, mix well, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and serve.
Effects: It stops coughing and relieves asthma.
Indications: Suitable for the elderly with chronic bronchitis, cough, excessive phlegm, and asthma.
Herbal Soup 4: Carp, Red Sugar, and Sweet Almond Soup
Ingredients: 1 carp, red sugar, an appropriate amount, 9g sweet almonds.
Method: Remove the gills, scales, and internal organs of the carp. Cook the carp together with red sugar and sweet almonds until the fish is cooked. Drink the soup and eat the fish.
Effects: It nourishes qi, invigorates the spleen, regulates lung function, and promotes blood circulation.
Indications: Suitable for the elderly with deficiency of both qi and yin, resulting in cough with excessive phlegm.
There are many methods for treating chronic bronchitis. It is recommended that patients consume more fruits and vegetables regularly to replenish vital energy, clear lung heat, invigorate qi, and nourish the spirit. These actions can have a positive effect on managing chronic bronchitis.
