Moisten Dryness

Pediatric formula 60 ml, 9:1 concentration extract

Western Symptomology:    chronic bronchitis, asthma, pertussis, pneumonia with presenting with the appropriate Chinese medical patterns.

Chinese Symptomology:    Chronic, slow-healing dry cough at the tail-end of a respiratory infection due to qi and yin vacuity with lingering heat and phlegm, dry cough with no or little phlegm, cough tending to get worse in the later afternoon and evening, low-grade fever or obvious warmth in the late afternoon and evening, possible evening sweating, dry and chapped lips, thirst with dry mouth, a dry uncomfortable feeling in the throat which may provoke coughing, hoarseness

Actions:    Supplements and enriches qi and yin, supplements the lings and fortifies the spleen, transforms phlegm, downbears counterflow, clears heat and disinhibits the throat.

Pattern:    Qi and Yin vacuity with lingering heat and phlegm in infants and children.

Tongue:    scanty tongue fur

Pulse:    fine, rapid

Chinese name:    Mai Men Dong Tang

Description:    Supplements and enriches qi and yin, supplements the lungs and fortifies the spleen, transforms phlegm, downbears counterflow, clears heat and disinhibits the throat.

For chronic, slow-healing dry cough at the tail-end of a respiratory infection due to qi and yin vacuity with lingering heat and phlegm in infants and children. Western medical indications include chronic bronchitis, asthma, pertussis, and pneumonia when presenting the appropriate Chinese medical patterns.

At the end of a respiratory disease or in certain chronic pulmonary diseases, many childrens qi and yin has been damaged by heat evils which may, in fact, still be lingering within the lungs. If there is also still phlegm deep-lying within the lungs, this may result in a chronic dry cough (typically worse in the evenings) which may linger for some time. In this case, it is necessary to supplement the qi and enrich yin at the same time as gently transforming phlegm, clearing heat, and harmonizing the qi. Within this formula, Geng Mi, Da Zao, and Dang Shen fortify the spleen and supplement the qi. Dang Shen and Geng Mi both also have some ability to engender fluids, while Da Zao has some ability to nourish the blood, remembering that blood and fluids share a common source and that qi and blood share a common source. Mai Men Dong enriches yin and moistens dryness, transforms phlegm and clears heat. The fact that Mai Men Dong simultaneously enriches yin and transform phlegm makes it a very special part of the Chinese material medica. Ban Xia transforms phlegm and downbears or harmonizes the qi to help stop coughing. Uncooked Gan Cao helps clear heat, engenders fluids, and disinhibits the throat. In addition, this formula also gently clears stomach heat which is often a co-factor in lung heat due to many childrens tendency to stomach heat. The reason we have chosen this formula for our pediatric line is that it is very gentle and contains relatively few ingredients. This is important when treating children when over-treatment may result in causing various side effects. In fact, it is one of the principles of Chinese medical pediatrics to stop treatment in infants and children when only half cured so as to avoid adverse medicinal reactions.

Dosage:    A dose of 2-3 droppers 3-4 times per day should be adequate for children 3-4 years old. This dose may be increased to 3-4 droppers 3-4 times per day for children 5-6 and so on up from there

Ingredients:    
Mai Men Dong (Tuber Ophiopogonis) 71 mg Geng Mi (Fructus Oryzae) 43 mg Da Zao (Fructus Jujubae) 29 mg Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis) 21.5 mg Ban Xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae) 21.5 mg Sheng Gan Cao (uncooked Radix Glycyrrhizae) 14 mg

Contraindications:    Cough due to wind-cold or wind-heat, phlegm dampness, high fever and irritability due to exterior heat, or lung wilting due to vacuity cold.