湿热清肺汤 (Clean Lungs, Reduce Inflammation Soup)

For thick yellow phlegm, fever, indigestion

Our breath, our source of oxygen and energy, should be strong, clear and steady, not labored, or troubled by either thick sticky or runny phlegm. Foods and herbs may be used to bring about the necessary balance of fluids and vital energy in order to support healthy breathing. When breath is adequate we do not notice trouble signs such as congestion, wheezing or coughing. Our mental clarity and physical strength flourish. We are full of life. 

To clear mucus congestion in lungs the purple daisy echinacea increases sweating. Used alone it may be too drying, therefore, additional cooling herbs are used in order to avoid side-effects. Semen coicis known as Job’s tear reduces water retention and digestive bloating. Cardamom, pinellia buds, dried tsaoko pods and tangerine peel also help to reduce mucus stemming from weak digestion. Tricosanthes peel (gua lou pi) from a long gourd sometimes called snake gourd or Chinese cucumber, is used to treat chest discomfort and opens the chest like a deep inhalation. Described as cold in nature and sweet, it has been used to treat chest pressure and pain, inflammation and thick phlegm, lung ulcers and constipation. It relieves chronic thirst and as such may be useful for diabetes. 

Anemarrhena (zhi mu) a delicate little purple flower on a green stalk is added to quell high fever with extreme thirst. It has been used traditionally in epidemic disease to treat coughing due to lung inflammation. It may be useful for menopausal hot flashes, diabetes and constipation. Coptis rhizome is the dried root of an herb we know as goldthread. Native Americans collected the extremely bitter root and brewed a tea for what they described as headaches, fever and springtime crabbiness. It contains an digestive, cooling salt berberine which stays in the brain for a period of time. A June 27, 2019 article published in World Health Net reports: 

Chinese goldthread/Coptis chinensis has been revealed to exhibit protective effects against diseases associated with oxidative stress such as Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 

To round out the herbal blend, Breathe Deep and Long adds herbs for treating colds and flu honeysuckle and chrysanthemum flower and houttuynia. Apricot kernal is moistening and helps to deepen the breathe. 

Ingredients:

Echinacea, apricot kernel, semen coicis, coptis root and rhizome, pinellia tuber, tricosanthes peel, tsaoko, anemarrhena rhizome, houttuynia, licorice root, cardamom, tangerine peel, ginseng root, kombu, honeysuckle flower, chrysanthemum flower. 

Breathe Deep and Long is a stronger acting herbal combination than the others in the Herb Rescue group because of anti-fever herbs anemarrhena and coptis. Patients with pre-existing illness or pregnant women should use it with the guidance of an herbal doctor.