Chronic Cough — TCM Food Therapy & Dietary Approach

The lung is the primary site, with involvement of the liver, spleen, and kidney.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns

In TCM, this concern is differentiated into several patterns, each with a classical herbal formula:

Phlegm-Damp Accumulating in the Lung

Formula: Er Chen Tang he San Zi Yang Qin Tang (Two-Cured Decoction Combined with Three-Seed Filial Devotion Decoction) — from *Formulary of the Bureau of the People's Welfare Pharmacies*; *Han Shi Yi Tong*

Phlegm-Heat Stagnating in the Lung

Formula: Qingjin Huatan Tang (Clear the Metal and Transform Phlegm Decoction) — from *Yi Xue Tong Zhi*

Liver Fire Invading the Lung

Formula: Xie Bai San he Dai Ge San (Drain the White Powder Combined with Indigo and Clam Shell Powder) — from *Key to Therapeutics of Children's Diseases*; *Medical Narratives*

Lung Yin Consumption

Formula: Shashen Maidong Tang (Glehnia and Ophiopogon Decoction) — from *Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases*

Lung Qi Deficiency

Formula: Bufei Tang (Tonify the Lung Decoction) — from *Yong Lei Qian Fang*

These formulas are for reference under TCM syndrome differentiation and should only be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner.

Food Therapy & Diet

Dietary Therapy Recipes

Fritillaria Stewed Pear: hollow out 1 snow pear, fill with Sichuan fritillary bulb (Chuan Bei Mu) 5 g and rock sugar 25 g; steam for 30 minutes.
Lily, Lotus Seed and Pear Soup: lily bulbs 30 g, lotus seed 30 g, 1 snow pear, rock sugar and goji berries; simmer until tender.
Fritillaria and Pear Congee: Sichuan fritillary bulb 5 g, 1 snow pear, glutinous rice 60 g, rock sugar.
Fritillaria, Pear and Pig Lung Soup: Sichuan fritillary bulb 10 g, 2 snow pears, pig lung 250 g, rock sugar; simmer for 2 hours.
Chinese Yam Congee: blend Chinese yam into a thin paste, bring to a boil; eat in portions on an empty stomach.

Dietary Principles

Favor foods that may support moistening the lung and dissolving phlegm (pear, lily bulb, snow fungus, white radish, water chestnut, monk fruit, apricot kernel, honey, loquat, Chinese yam, lotus root).
For yin-deficiency dry cough, favor foods that may support nourishing yin and moistening the lung.
Avoid cold drinks, raw/cold, sour-spicy, fishy, greasy, sweet, deep-fried, and cloying foods.
Fish stirs up fire and meat generates phlegm; eat less meat, fish, and shrimp when coughing.
Avoid tobacco and alcohol; for cold-type cough, avoid cold-natured foods.

Understanding the Condition

The lung is the primary site, with involvement of the liver, spleen, and kidney. The Suwen states that all the zang-fu organs can cause cough. Internal-injury cough arises from organ disharmony in which internal pathogens invade the lung: spleen deficiency generates phlegm that collects in the lung, phlegm-dampness transforms into heat, liver fire attacks the lung, and prolonged cough depletes lung yin and lung qi.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.