Any medication that can alleviate or stop coughing and wheezing is called an antitussive bronchodilator. Antitussive bronchodilators are mainly used to treat various diseases that cause coughing and asthma. So, what are the traditional Chinese medicines for cough and phlegm and wheezing?
1: Pinellia
[Aliases] Nao Goudan, Sanbutiao, Di Ba Dou, etc.
[Prescription Names] Processed Pinellia, Scoured Pinellia, Ginger Pinellia, Raw Pinellia, Pinellia Qu.
[Medicinal Parts] Rhizome.
[Medicinal Functions] Drying dampness and transforming phlegm, descending rebellious Qi and stopping vomiting, dispersing stagnation and resolving masses.
[Indications and Applications]
1. Cough and wheezing due to cold and dampness. Often used in combination with tangerine peel, poria, licorice, etc.
2. Vomiting and nausea caused by phlegm obstruction and stagnation of stagnant drinking. Combined with fresh ginger, poria; hot vomiting, add coptis, bamboo shavings; pregnancy vomiting combined with Zhaoxintu, white atractylodes, poria.
3. Chest and abdominal distension and discomfort caused by phlegm and heat mutual obstruction. Often combined with coptis, Scutellaria baicalensis, melon wilt, dried ginger.
[Reference Materials]
Pinellia contains beta-sitosterol and its glucosides, gamma-aminobutyric acid, allantoin, alkaloids and other effective ingredients. Urine black acid is a stimulating substance in Pinellia, gamma-aminobutyric acid has temporary hypotensive effect, Pinellia can inhibit the vomiting center and has antiemetic effect; it also has the functions of expectorant, antitussive, and relieving bronchial smooth muscle spasm.
2: Trichosanthes kirilowii
[Aliases] Trichosanthes peel, whole Trichosanthes, Trichosanthes seed, Trichosanthes peel.
[Prescription Names] Trichosanthes, Whole Trichosanthes, Trichosanthes seed, Trichosanthes peel.
[Medicinal Parts] Ripe fruit.
[Medicinal Functions] Clearing heat and transforming phlegm, invigorating the middle and dispersing stagnation, moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements.
[Indications and Applications]
1. Lung heat cough, thick and difficult to expectorate phlegm; lung abscess coughing up pus and blood. Often combined with Anemarrhena, Zhebei, Honeysuckle, Houttuynia cordata.
2. Chest pain and discomfort. Often combined with Chinese leek, Pinellia, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus.
3. Early stage of breast abscess. Often combined with dandelion, forsythia, tangerine peel.
4. Dryness in the intestines and constipation. Combined with hemp seed, peach kernel. Use Trichosanthes seed alone or in combination with apricot kernel to treat constipation caused by lung heat and phlegm stagnation.
[Pharmacological Research]
Trichosanthes and its extracts have inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Shigella, Proteus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and skin fungi. Alcoholic extracts have anticancer effects.
3: Fritillaria
[Aliases] Chuan Beimu, Zhe Beimu, Yuanbao Tu, Ban Beimu.
[Prescription Names] Chuan Beimu, Zhe Beimu, Elephant Beimu.
[Medicinal Parts] Underground spherical bulbs.
[Medicinal Functions] Clearing heat and transforming phlegm, dispersing stagnation and resolving depression.
[Indications and Applications]
1. Cough with phlegm due to phlegm heat. Combine with Anemarrhena. Chuan Beimu has a sweet and cool nature, so it is used for cough with lung deficiency, little phlegm, and dry throat, in combination with sand ginseng, dwarf lilyturf tuber, Ophiopogon japonicus.
2. Scrofula, carbuncle, abscess, breast abscess, lung abscess. Zhe Beimu is the best choice, combined with Scutellaria baicalensis, oyster shell, summer cypress for treating scrofula; combined with Forsythia suspensa, dandelion, pollen typhae for treating carbuncle, abscess, and breast diseases; combined with reed stalk, coix seed, winter melon seed, Houttuynia cordata for treating lung abscess.
[Reference Materials]
Components: Chuan Beimu and Zhe Beimu both contain Fritillaria alkaloids, dehydrofritillaria alkaloids, and various alkaloids. In addition, Zhe Beimu contains Zhe Beimu alkaloids A and B.
[Pharmacological Research]
Zhe Beimu alkaloids have a dilating effect on bronchial smooth muscle, but at high concentrations, they can significantly contract it. They also have excitatory effects on uterine smooth muscle and hypotensive effects. Chuan Beimu alkaloids have a longer-lasting hypotensive effect.
4: Platycodon grandiflorus
[Aliases] Baofu flower, stem grass, white medicine.
[Prescription Names] Platycodon, Bitter Platycodon, White Platycodon, Jin Platycodon.
[Medicinal Parts] Root.
[Medicinal Functions] Expelling lung Qi and resolving phlegm, draining pus.
[Indications and Applications]
1. Cough with excessive phlegm. Wind-cold cough is often combined with Schizonepeta, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Perilla leaf; internal heat cough is often combined with mulberry leaf, chrysanthemum, great burdock fruit, Peucedanum praeruptorum.
2. Sore throat and hoarseness. Platycodon can promote the dispersal of lung Qi, and when lung Qi is dispersed, the voice naturally becomes clear. Often combined with great burdock fruit, belvedere fruit, cicada slough, etc.
3. Urinary retention, edema. Platycodon regulates the lungs and all Qi, when lung Qi is dispersed, the stagnation is unobstructed. Therefore, it is often used in diuretic, dampness-eliminating, and qi-warming and qi-transforming prescriptions to treat urinary retention, difficult urination, and edema.
4. Lung abscess with coughing up pus and blood, yellow and foul phlegm. Platycodon can expel phlegm and is good at draining pus. It is used in combination with reed stalk, coix seed, winter melon seed, peach kernel, Houttuynia cordata to achieve the effect of expelling phlegm and draining pus.
[Reference Materials]
Components: Platycodon contains platycodin, platycodin A, B, C, platycodin D, platycoside, and trace alkaloids.
[Pharmacological Research]
It has sedative, analgesic, and antipyretic effects. It is related to the inhibition of the central nervous system by platycodin. Small doses can stimulate the gastric mucosa and cause vomiting, and can reflexively cause increased secretions of the bronchi, making the phlegm dilute and easy to cough up.
5: Bitter Apricot Seed
[Aliases] Heng'er, North Apricot Seed.
[Prescription Names] Bitter Apricot Seed, Apricot Seed, Bright Apricot Seed.
[Medicinal Parts] Seeds.
[Medicinal Functions] Antitussive and bronchodilator, moistening intestines and promoting bowel movements.
[Indications and Applications]
1. Cough due to wind-heat. Combined with mulberry leaf, peppermint.
2. Cough due to lung heat. Combined with Platycodon, Scutellaria baicalensis, reed root.
3. Wheezing with excessive phlegm. For wind-cold wheezing and coughing, combine with ephedra, licorice; for wind-heat wheezing and coughing, combine with mulberry leaf, chrysanthemum; for dry-heat wheezing, combine with mulberry twig.
4. Lack of body fluids, blood deficiency, constipation. Match with hemp seed, peach kernel, Angelica sinensis.
[Reference Materials]
Components: Bitter apricot seed contains amygdalin, amygdalinase, and fatty oil. Amygdalin can produce hydrocyanic acid through enzyme or acid hydrolysis.
[Pharmacological Research]
It has a sedative effect on the respiratory center. Overdose can be toxic, and the folk remedy for poisoning is to boil 60 grams of apricot bark and take it orally to detoxify. This product contains about 50% fatty oil, so it has a laxative effect.
