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Each winter the threat of colds and flu sneak up on us when just moments ago we had sunny days and warm nights.
This year, build your immune system ahead of time. Stock up on herbal preventatives and learn how to take them at the first sensation of a cold or flu in your body. Here’s how to do it naturally with Traditional Chinese herbs blended into new formulas for contemporary living.
First, let’s talk about three herbal cold remedy formulas and what they do. Then, equally as important, let’s talk about when and for how long to take them.
Herbal Formulas to Take When You Are Healthy
“The Immune Builder”: Yu Ping Feng San, Jade Screen
In Chinese medicine, the body’s natural line of defense is called the “Protective Qi.” When this resistant energy is weak, the body is more susceptible to a virus, bacteria, pollen or animal dander. The ancient Chinese formula, Yu Ping Feng San builds up the resistant energy of the body. The name literally means “Jade Screen” and you can think of it as building a screen to protect the body.
Research studies find that Yu Ping Feng San increases IgG and IgA production, enhances macrophage production and inhibits the growth of influenza virus [1]. When SARS occurred in China, Yu Ping Feng San was the herbal formula recommended by Chinese health authorities to the public for prevention of SARS and has been used to treat colds and flu naturally for many years in China.
How Long to Take The Immune Builder
It is important to take Yu Ping Feng San, Jade Screen, daily for at least one month to build up immunity. Those who are very deficient can take it for daily for two months.
Herbal Formulas to Take When You Feel You’re Getting Sick
Jing Fang Bai Du San & Chuan Xin Lian Antiphlogistic Tablets
I’m constantly exposed to illness in my Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine practice and I’ve used the following two formulas repeatedly over the last four years and have not gotten sick once!
The pathogens that cause colds and the flu enter the body through the skin and mucous membranes. Before a pathogen fully penetrates the protective qi screen of the body it can be resisted in two ways.
First, it can be “released” from the skin by sweating [2]. But you don’t want to sweat so much as to deplete the body’s energy. Jing Fang Bai Du San uses natural Traditional Chinese herbs to induce a slight sweat and release the pathogen from the body surfaces while also removing damp and phlegm from the interior. It is a modified version of the classic formulas Yin Qiao San, an herbal home remedy used in China to prevent colds and influenza since 1798, and Jing Fang Bai Du San.
The second way to resist a cold or flu is through the antiviral/antibacterial herbs in the Chuan Xin Lian Antiphlogistic Tablets based on the formulas Gan Mao Ling Jie Du Wan and Yin Qiao San. This formula contains several antiviral and antibacterial herbs including Chuan Xin Lian Andrographis, which has been shown in double blind studies to prevent the onset of colds in healthy people [3].
Taken together, Jing Fang Bai Du and Chuan Xin Lian Antiphlogistic are very effective at preventing the development of a cold or flu. To maximize their effects, you need to know when and for how long to take them.
When To Take Herbal Preventatives: Know Your Personal Red Flags!
I have found that there are common signs of an oncoming sickness, but certain ones occur stronger and more frequently in each individual. You’ll know when to take the formulas by knowing your personal symptoms. These are your personal “Red Flags.”
For me, I always feel a tightness and swelling in my glands on the sides of my throat with a bit of light headedness. The key is to act quickly. At the first sign of your own personal red flags, start taking both formulas immediately every three to four hours. The better you get to know your own symptoms, the faster you will start to take the herbs and the better your chances of avoiding illness.
How Long to Take Herbal Preventatives
Simply put, you need to take them for another 24 hours after you feel better. This allows the herbs to continue to eliminate any lingering bacteria or viruses.
Get Diagnosed by a Licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalist/Acupuncturist
Traditional Chinese herbs have little to no side effects. But, just because these herbal cold and flu remedies are “plant based” and “natural” doesn’t make them safe to take without the advice and guidance of a licensed herbalist/acupuncturist.
A Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalist/Acupuncturist can also assist you in the right dose of herbs to take, which may seem high if you’re not familiar with natural herbs as medicine. Do a Google search for Acupuncturists in your area and confirm that they are also licensed herbalists.
An Acupuncturist should be licensed by the state and have the degree Dipl. O.M., L.Ac or higher.
References:
1. [http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/11263289
http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0192415X0600359X
[http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/16883634]
Chen Q. Renowned Patent Traditional Chinese Medicines: Pharmacology and Clinical Applications (1998).
Zhong Yao Yao Li Yu Lin Chuang (Pharmacology and Clinical Applications of Chinese Herbs) 1990;6(3):7.
Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi (Journal of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine) 1990;12:22.
Jiang Xi Zhong Yi Yao (Jiangxi Chinese Medicine and Herbology) 1989;6:40
2. Materia Medica; Dan Bensky, Steven Clavey, Erich Stoger, Andrew Gamble, Lilian Lai Bensky; Eastland Pr. 3rd Edition, September 2004
3. Thamlikitkul V, Dechatiwongse T, Theerapong S, et al. Efficacy of Andrographis paniculata, Nees for pharyngotonsillitis in adults. J Med Assoc Thai 1991;74:437-42.
Melchior J, Palm S, Wikman G. Controlled clinical study of standardized Andrographis paniculata in common cold- a pilot trial. Phytomedicine 1996;97;3:315-8.
Hancke, J., Burgos, R., Caceres, D., and Wikman, G. A double-blind study with a new monodrug Kan Jang: decrease of symptoms and improvement in the recovery from common colds. Phytother Res. 1995;1995(9):-559.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0021350/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1841992
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10996277
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Author: Robert Youngs
Apprentice Editor: Kim Haas / Editor: Catherine Monkman
Photo: Flickr/Paula Bailey
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