Cough
Overview
Cough is a condition in which the lung fails to diffuse and descend, causing lung qi to counterflow upward, producing sound with or without sputum. Exogenous cough arises from wind-cold, wind-heat, or wind-dryness attacking the lung; internal-injury cough relates to phlegm-dampness, phlegm-heat, liver fire invading the lung, or deficiency of lung yin.
Pattern differentiation (clinical patterns)
Wind-Cold Invading the Lung
Forceful cough with itchy throat, thin white sputum, clear nasal discharge, aversion to cold, no sweating, thin white coating, floating tight pulse.
Expel wind and disperse cold; diffuse the lung to stop cough.
Phlegm-Dampness Accumulating in the Lung
Recurrent cough with copious white sticky sputum, worse in the morning, chest and epigastric fullness, poor appetite, fatigue, greasy white coating, slippery pulse.
Dry dampness and transform phlegm; regulate qi to stop cough.
Connections
Daily care & prevention
Avoid wind-cold, cold raw and greasy foods, and drink warm water. For phlegm-dampness, reduce sweets, dairy, and cold raw foods; tangerine peel, Chinese yam, and coix seed support the spleen. For dry cough, moisten the lung with pear, lily bulb, or snow fungus soup. Massaging Feishu (BL13), Lieque (LU7), and Fenglong (ST40) helps transform phlegm.
When to seek medical care
Seek medical evaluation for blood in sputum, breathing difficulty, chest pain, persistent fever, cough lasting more than three weeks, night sweats with weight loss, or sudden wheezing with inability to lie flat.