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The etiology of cough: if treatment is limited solely to clearing the lungs, resolving phlegm, dispersing wind, and regulating qi, it will inevitably cause harm. In cases of initial cough due to external wind invasion, administering heat-clearing and dispersing agents prematurely often proves ineffective; this is termed "deficiency-type wind invasion." Such cases strictly contraindicate cold-natured dispersing methods. With appropriate prescription, gradual recovery can be achieved. Additionally, during winter, insufficient kidney qi fails to nourish wood (liver), leading to internal deficiency of liver qi. This results in profuse rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction, also classified as deficiency-type wind invasion, which similarly contraindicates dispersing therapies. With proper medication, symptoms such as rhinorrhea and nasal patency typically resolve only when spring arrives, temperatures moderate, and ice thaws. The general principles of cough are as described above; grasping the underlying intent and extending it logically allows for accurate application.

Furthermore, cough is colloquially called "choking" (Qiang). Continuous coughing without pause is termed "sudden choking" (Dun Qiang). Sudden choking involves a single breath followed by twenty to thirty consecutive choking coughs, or at least ten to twenty. During these episodes, the head droops and the chest bends; severely, limbs may become spasmodic, with sputum gushing from the mouth, accompanied by tears and mucus flowing down from the chest and epigastrium to the lower abdomen. In adults, this resembles asthma; in children, it is known as "epidemic sudden choking." It often resolves spontaneously within one month without medication. This occurs because the eighty-four thousand pores of the body are governed by the Qi of the Taiyang Bladder channel, which connects with the Lung. Within the pores lie collateral vessels whose blood corresponds to the blood in the "Bao" (uterus/blood sea), connecting with the Liver. If cold invades the pores, causing stagnation of blood in the Bao, the blood cannot permeate the skin and collateral vessels. Consequently, Qi fails to warm and Blood fails to moisten, resulting in sudden choking. By one month, the blood in the Bao completes a full circulation, allowing for spontaneous resolution. If unresolved after one month, it may persist for two months; even without medication, it is rarely fatal. However, excessive parental anxiety leading to frequent medication, where physicians treat only Qi but not Blood, or only the Lung but not the Liver, may prolong the condition or induce new pathologies. Excessive use of cold-natured herbs causes vomiting and anorexia; excessive purgatives cause abdominal distension and diarrhea; excessive diaphoretic agents cause edema and wheezing. Many deaths that should not have occurred result from such errors.

Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Xia Xing Da Huang Tang (Poria, Licorice, Schisandra, Dried Ginger, Asarum, Pinellia, Apricot Seed, and Rhubarb Decoction)
Formula Composition:
Fuling (Poria) 4 liang
Gancao (Licorice Root) 2 liang
Ganjiang (Dried Ginger) 3 liang
Xixin (Asarum) 3 liang
Wuweizi (Schisandra Berry) 0.5 sheng
Banxia (Pinellia Tuber) 0.5 sheng
Xingren (Apricot Seed) 0.5 sheng
Dahuang (Rhubarb Root) 3 liang

Preparation: Decoct the eight ingredients in 10 dou of water until reduced to 3 sheng. Strain. Take 1 sheng warm, three times daily.

(When fluid retention occurs below the heart, one must distinguish the sequence of symptoms. Why does thirst precede vomiting? Fluid retention obstructs Yang Qi, forcing it upward to scorch the throat and tongue, causing thirst. Before vomiting occurs, one can trace this back to fluid retention below the heart. Why does vomiting follow thirst? Thirst leads to excessive drinking; excess fluid regurgitates upward, causing vomiting. After thirst appears, one can confirm fluid retention below the heart. This pattern belongs to patients with fluid retention syndromes.) Physicians should not focus on the resolved symptom of thirst but treat the current symptom of vomiting using Xiao Ban Xia Jia Fu Ling Tang (Minor Pinellia and Poria Decoction). This discussion follows the section on cough because fluid retention is the root cause of cough; thus, it is reiterated extensively.

Xiao Ban Xia Jia Fu Ling Tang (Minor Pinellia and Poria Decoction) (See above)