So you’ve heard the drill before, wash your hands, wear a mask, take your vitamin D, etc. Yes! Those are all great things to do to prevent catching one of the many circulating diseases this winter season. But this is already turning out to be a season like no other, Covid cases in Los Angeles County have topped over 10,000 reported within the span of only the last 3 days. Flu is also rampant, with many hospitals already overwhelmed with flu patients, even as we’re just now cresting flu season. And let’s not forget RSV also! We can’t seem to catch a break this year!
We’re absolutely going to need all the defense we can get to get to dodge all of the circulating diseases going around right now. So don’t forget your secret weapon! Chinese medicine!
Chinese medical history is rich and nuanced, with so many brilliant herbal formulas that have been used for centuries for prevention and treatment of colds, flus, and other pathogenic diseases.
While we may have Robitussin and Tamiflu in western medicine, with Chinese medicine we literally have dozens of different formulas in use for different types of colds and flus with different symptoms, for different people’s constitutions, and even how far we are in the disease progression. This customized approach is what makes Chinese medicine so incredibly effective at treating pathogenic disease.
Two of the most popular formulas we have in our arsenal are Yu Ping Feng San and Yin Qiao San. These are so useful that we recommend that everyone keep a bottle of each in their medicine cabinet for “just in case.”
Yu Ping Feng San translates to “Jade Wind Screen.” The symbology of jade in Chinese is a stone of longevity, strength, and good health. “Wind” is the Chinese way of describing the pathogens that are airborne, such as bacteria, viruses, fungus, etc. So the name of this formula means that it functions to create a screen as hard as stone to protect against “wind evils.”
This formula strengthens the body’s innate energies to bolster the immune system. It gently stimulates circulation to the surface of the body to guide pathogens out. And it also has anti viral and anti bacterial properties. This is the perfect formula to take as a preventative if you know you are going to be around a lot of people, or if you feel run down and need an immune boost.
If you’ve already caught a cold or flu, and have fever one of the most popular formulas to take is Yin Qiao San, translated it’s Honeysuckle Forsythia Powder. You can easily find it in pill form also. It’s a staple in many Chinese households and for good reason. This formula is a powerful antiviral and anti bacterial formula. Note, this formula is only for colds and flus where you feel hot, not for the ones where you have chills. It reduces fever, inflammation, and pain associated with colds and flus. It reduces the time you have a cold or flu and also makes you more comfortable while you have it. This formula is best taken within the first few days of having a cold/flu so take it as soon as you feel something coming on.
We carry both formulas at Blue Jean Acupuncture. But if you can’t get to us they are so ubiquitous that you can find them in many Chinese grocery stores, and online also.
Another thing you can do to keep yourself disease free this flu/covid season is to enjoy foods that nourish your lung health. The lungs, and lung system in Chinese medicine preside over immunity. Healthy lungs equal more protection against respiratory diseases. So eat the things that makes your lungs happy, oats, carrots, mustard greens, garlic, ginger, cabbage, radish, turnips, broccoli, kale, pear, and parsley.
Be well and be healthy!
