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The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "When humans are affected by cold, they fall ill; mildly, it manifests as cough; severely, it manifests as diarrhea or pain." Cough can occur in all five zang and six fu organs, but the lung is always the first to be invaded by pathogenic factors. This is because the lung governs qi and corresponds to the skin and hair. When pathogens initially invade the body, they first lodge in the skin and hair; therefore, cough is a disease of the lung. Each of the five zang organs receives pathogens during its respective season, and diseases of the six fu organs are often transferred from the five zang organs. The ancients said that lung diseases are difficult to cure and may lead to sudden death. The lung is a delicate organ that fears cold and dislikes heat; thus, pathogens easily damage it and it is hard to treat, partly because decoctions and powders pass directly through the throat into the stomach and intestines, and acupuncture cannot directly reach the lung.

The ten types of cough include: lung cough, heart cough, spleen cough, kidney cough, liver cough, wind cough, cold cough, cough due to fluid retention supporting the chest (Zhiyin cough), gallbladder cough, and Jueyin cough. Hua Tuo described five types of cough: cold cough, qi cough, dry cough, fluid cough, and evil/pathogenic cough. Sun Simiao also provided prescriptions for treating cold-toxin infectious cough (Zhucough). These theories have been recorded in detail in medical texts throughout history. However, the so-called "consumptive cough" (Laosou) seen today is not found in ancient texts. I surmise that this corresponds to Hua Tuo's "evil cough" and Sun Simiao's "infectious cough." This illness is generally caused by excess sexual activity and drinking, leading to extreme fatigue that damages the lungs and depletes the meridians. In severe cases, patients expectorate pus and blood; in mild cases, symptoms flare up and subside intermittently. It can also be contracted through contact with pathogenic qi when the body is deficient. Some patients vomit blood before coughing, while others start with coughing and gradually become emaciated. This condition involves not only internal damage to the lung meridian but also the presence of pathogenic infectious qi, making it particularly severe; no other disease is as toxic or harmful. For treating infectious cough, Sun Simiao used four segments of centipede in the Tongqi Wan formula. He also stated that for cases involving dreams of intercourse with spirits or consumption of spirit food, whole centipedes should be used. The *Waitai Miyao* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) mentions the Siman Wan formula for treating five types of cough, which also uses centipede. Modern renowned physicians who understand the underlying principles often use substances such as Gecko (Gejie), human skull cap (Tianlinggai), peach and willow branches, musk, cinnabar, realgar, and benzoin (Anxi Xiang)—medicines that communicate with the divine—to treat this condition, surpassing the methods of the ancients. Additionally, if there are worms resembling silkworms in the lung causing throat itching and coughing, where decoctions and powders pass through without reaching the site and acupuncture cannot affect them, using lozenges or dissolving medicines in the mouth can kill the worms, after which the cough stops (as recorded in Zhang Rui's formulas).

The *Shenshi Fang* treats five types of cough: 1. Cough with rebellious qi (Shangqi cough); 2. Fluid cough (Yincough); 3. Dry cough (Zaocough); 4. Cold cough (Lengcough); 5. Evil cough (Xiecough). Formula: Siman Wan.