Question: What can Chinese medicine do for seasonal
allergies?
Answer:
So
many people suffer from seasonal allergies (“hay fever”) and allergies to
common household irritants such as cat hair, dust and mold. This article is
specifically about the type of allergic reaction that affects the nasal
passages. I’ll refer to this as “allergic rhinitis.”
A funny
thing happened a few years ago when I prescribed herbs for a patient suffering
with a stuffed nose, runny nose and nasal congestion. She was miserable. For
some reason I don’t know, I had packed the herbs in a paper bag instead of
plastic, and instructed the patient to decoct and then drink them. But when I
saw her next, she told me she had just set the bag down by the side of her bed,
and their aromatic pungency had penetrated through the paper and into the room,
and into her nose, and she said her nasal stuffiness improved! She didn’t cook
the herbs at all! I started trying out
this “atmospheric herbal treatment” on other patients, and nearly all of them
said it was effective. They could breathe more easily, and the fragrant herbs
opened their nasal passages. One patient was a potter. She created some lidded ceramic
pots perforated with holes, so the herbs could enter the room.
The
formula I give for allergic rhinitis is based on Cang Er Zi San (Xanthium Powder), but with more aromatic herbs
added. My aim is to add the most pungent ingredients I have since the patient
won’t be consuming it, but will only be inhaling it. I use:
Cang Er
Zi (Xanthii Fructus)
Bai Zhi (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix)
Xin Yi
Hua (Magnoliae Flos)
Qiang
Huo (Notopterygii Radix)
Bo He (Menthae Herba)
Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix)
Huang
Qin (Scutellariae Radix)
Sha Ren (Amomi Fructus)
Huo Xiang (Agastaches Herba)
If the patient is to use it only for
atmospheric inhalation, I use large doses
of all herbs, about 15 grams each.
Of course, this formula would also work as a
decoction to take internally, in which case I would reduce the dosages to about
10 grams each. I would differentiate the syndrome in accordance with usual
internal medicine principles, and adjust the formula accordingly.
Allergic rhinitis can be classified as an
invasion of wind cold or wind heat, or an invasion of wind cold with dampness
(the most common presentation). It could also be related to deficiencies of
spleen, lung, or kidney.
The formula could also be used as a steam
inhalation treatment. The patient would place the herbs in a large bowl, pour
boiling water over them, and then lean over the bowl and inhale the steam,
while covering her head with a towel.
For acupuncture treatment, I find that face
and scalp points such as Du 24, GB 15, LI 20 and Yin Tang are the most
effective, and I always add St 36 and/or 40 to strengthen the Qi and dispel
phlegm.