4. Lung Disease Pattern Differentiation

4. Lung Disease Pattern Differentiation

(1) Lung-Cold Cough

Symptoms include headache, fever and chills, cough with copious sputum, clear and thin sputum, and a floating, tight pulse—treatment involves releasing the exterior and dispersing cold, stopping cough and eliminating phlegm, using Ma Huang Tang (from "Shanghan Lun"). This syndrome is a combination of wind-cold exterior syndrome and cough.

(2) Lung-Heat Cough

Symptoms include headache, fever and chills (more heat than cold), thirst, frequent drinking, irritability, cough with copious sputum, and a red tongue, with a rapid pulse—treatment involves clearing heat, opening the lungs, and stopping cough, using Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang (from "Shanghan Lun"). This syndrome is a combination of wind-heat exterior syndrome and cough.

(3) Lung-Dry Cough

Dry mouth, dry throat, dry nose, cough with phlegm, sticky and difficult-to-clear phlegm, red tongue with little moisture—treatment involves clearing dryness and rescuing the lungs, using Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang (from "Yimen Falü"). In TCM, "any dry syndrome must have three drynesses": dry mouth, dry throat, and dry nose. This syndrome is composed of these three drynesses plus cough with sticky phlegm.

(4) Phlegm-Turbidity Blocking the Lungs

Phlegm obstructs the lungs, making it difficult to breathe and causing coughing and wheezing—treatment involves guiding phlegm and opening the lungs, using Su Zi Jiang Qi Tang (from "Jufang") and Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang (by Zhang Zhongjing).

(5) Lung-Qi Deficiency

Pale complexion, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, fatigue, cough with phlegm, fat tongue, and a moist, fine pulse—treatment involves strengthening qi and replenishing the lungs, using Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (by Li Dongyuan). This formula is the main agent for cultivating earth to generate metal.

(6) Lung-Yin Deficiency

Cough with phlegm, sticky and difficult-to-clear phlegm, phlegm with blood, bone-steaming heat, five-heart heat, night sweats—treatment involves nourishing yin and clearing the lungs, using Bai He Gu Jin Tang (from "Yifang Jiejie"). This syndrome is composed of yin-deficiency symptoms and lung-cough symptom cluster.