Stubborn Phlegm Relief

Many friends still have a cough and persistent phlegm that lasts for several months after recovering from a confirmed diagnosis. Phlegm is a secretion from the respiratory tract that needs to be expelled through coughing. Clearing the phlegm is key to stopping the cough. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the spleen is considered the source of phlegm production, and the lungs are the organ where phlegm is stored. Phlegm arises from an imbalance between the spleen and lungs. When external pathogens invade, and the spleen fails to perform its function of transforming water and dampness, excess dampness accumulates in the body. If this coincides with insufficient lung qi, the fluid in the lungs can accumulate and form phlegm. If you frequently experience clear or white phlegm stuck in your throat, you can use a quarter piece of aged tangerine peel and 3 grams of Pinellia. After rinsing them, place them in a thermos and steep them in hot water for 30 minutes before drinking. This tea can dispel cold, warm the lungs, resolve phlegm, and stop coughing. It is particularly effective for cold coughs and clear, white phlegm. If accompanied by a cough, adding a few slices of ginger can help alleviate a dry cough. Tangerine peel is pungent and bitter in taste, warm in nature, and acts on the spleen and lung meridians. It can invigorate the spleen and harmonize the stomach, helping to regulate qi, dry dampness, resolve phlegm, and relieve abdominal distension. It can warm and transform cold phlegm, and its pungent and bitter properties can promote lung function and stop coughing. The best tangerine peel comes from mature Xinhui mandarins. Every November is also the harvest season for Xinhui mandarins, and many people buy fresh mandarin peels strung together to dry and store as aged tangerine peel. Pinellia is pungent in taste, warm in nature, and acts on the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. It can dry dampness, resolve phlegm, lower adverse qi, stop vomiting, reduce swelling, and disperse nodules. Ginger is pungent in taste, warm in nature, and acts on the lung, spleen, and stomach meridians. It can warm the lungs, stop coughing, induce sweating, and relieve external syndromes. It can treat spleen and stomach deficiency cold or disharmony of stomach qi.