Wind-heat cold is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine. Patients with symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, and high fever can use diet therapy as an effective method, especially when the symptoms are mild. If the symptoms are severe, diet therapy can be used for recovery. So, what are the suitable diet therapies for wind-heat cold?
Peppermint and Licorice Tea
Ingredients: 5 grams of green tea, 9 grams of lotus leaf, 3 grams of licorice.
Instructions: Boil 500 milliliters of water. Put the lotus leaf and licorice in a cup and pour in the hot water. Cover the cup and let it steep for 3 minutes before drinking.
Benefits: Peppermint has the function of inducing sweating and dispersing wind and heat. It can treat fever without sweating. Licorice can clear heat and detoxify, regulate the middle burner, and work together with peppermint to prevent excessive sweating. This tea is mainly made with peppermint as the main ingredient and licorice as the auxiliary ingredient. It is suitable for wind-heat cold with fever symptoms.
Marshmallow and Olive Tea
Ingredients: Suitable amounts of marshmallow, olive, green tea, and honey.
Instructions: Wash and slice the olives and boil them in water for a moment. Then soak the marshmallow and green tea in the boiled water, cover the pot, let it steep for a while, and then add honey and mix well when it is slightly warm.
Benefits: Marshmallow has a cooling nature and can clear heat, moisten the lungs, and disperse wind and heat. It is suitable for wind-heat cold with symptoms of cough and sore throat. Olive can clear heat, detoxify, remove dampness, and produce fluids to relieve thirst. Green tea can clear heat and remove dampness. By combining the three ingredients, this tea is suitable for wind-heat cold with fever symptoms.
Powdered Pueraria Lobata and Fermented Soybean Congee
Ingredients: 10 grams of powdered pueraria lobata root, 10 grams of fermented soybean, 10 grams of dwarf lilyturf tuber, 3 stalks of scallions (washed), 50 grams of polished rice.
Instructions:
1. Put the powdered pueraria lobata root, fermented soybean, and dwarf lilyturf tuber in a clay pot and add 500 milliliters of water. Boil for about 5-10 minutes, filter the residue and keep the liquid in the pot.
2. Wash the polished rice and cook it with the liquid to make a watery congee.
3. Cut the scallions into small pieces, add them to the congee, and stir well. Serve warm.
Benefits: This congee consists of powdered pueraria lobata root, fermented soybean, and scallions, which can clear heat and relieve the surface. Dwarf lilyturf tuber and polished rice can nourish yin and the stomach, and have the characteristics of relieving wind, gentle heat relief, and nourishing without being greasy. This diet therapy is suitable for wind-heat cold.
Mulberry Leaf and Loquat Leaf Porridge
Ingredients: 18 grams of mulberry leaf, 10 grams of loquat leaf, 100 grams of sugarcane, 30 grams of fresh reed rhizome, 6 grams of peppermint, 60 grams of sticky rice.
Instructions: Wash and chop the above ingredients, add an appropriate amount of water, simmer and boil, and then add sticky rice and cook until the porridge thickens. Serve hot. Take 1 dose daily for 3 consecutive days.
Benefits: Mulberry leaf, reed rhizome, and peppermint can clear heat and generate fluids. Loquat leaf can clear the lungs and stop coughing. Sugarcane and sticky rice can generate fluids and nourish the stomach. This diet therapy is suitable for cold and fever caused by lung and stomach heat and external wind-heat.
Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Drink
Ingredients: 5 grams of mulberry leaf, 5 grams of chrysanthemum, 30 grams of white sugar.
Instructions:
1. Wash the mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum and put them in an aluminum pot with an appropriate amount of water.
2. Boil the pot on high heat, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Add white sugar, mix well, turn off the heat, let it cool slightly, and filter.
Benefits: Both mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum have the function of dispersing wind and clearing heat. They can be used to treat wind-heat cold, fever, and throat swelling.
Dietary Precautions for Wind-Heat Cold with Fever
1. In general, since a cold is caused by external pathogens, in the early stages of a cold, it is advisable to eat light and easily digestible food, and avoid sour, astringent, and greasy foods, to prevent the retention of the pathogen.
2. During a cold with a fever, smoking and alcohol should be avoided. Smoking can directly irritate the upper respiratory tract, and drinking alcohol can lead to the dilation of blood vessels in the skin, making it easier for the pathogen to enter. This can prolong the duration of the cold or lead to a new infection.
3. Avoid eating greasy, spicy, and hot sticky foods, such as chili and fatty meat, to avoid affecting digestion.
4. Wind-heat cold sufferers should eat foods that are spicy and cool, can disperse wind, clear heat, and soothe the throat, such as pear, radish, sweet potato, mung bean, watermelon, and monk fruit.
5. During a cold, when the gastrointestinal function is poor, it is advisable to eat watery congee, noodles, and soft rice, fresh vegetables, fruits, and foods rich in vitamin C to replenish the nutrients lost due to fever and enhance the body's ability to resist diseases.
