讀後心得

Recently, there has been a popular remedy circulating online that combines sugar-free green tea with half-sweet red tea for cough relief. Some claim that drinking it warm for three days can stop a cough. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners point out that while this combination has harmonizing properties, its therapeutic effect is limited due to a lack of targeted treatment, and the sugar content may lead to phlegm and dampness. If there are cough issues, it's advised to seek professional medical advice. Green tea is known for its ability to clear the lungs and resolve phlegm, while red tea can warm the spleen and aid digestion; however, this pairing is not suitable for treating various types of coughs.

Recently, there has been a widely circulated "cough remedy" online, mentioning that a combination of sugar-free green tea and half-sweet red tea can be a "cough savior," with several beverage shops subsequently launching related products. However, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners point out that this combination may have potential effects, but its therapeutic benefits are significantly limited. The combination lacks specificity, and the sugar content may induce phlegm dampness, which can lead to cough with phlegm, while the conflicting temperatures could also reduce overall efficacy.

It has been stated that this combination has a certain degree of harmonization from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, but it may not be effective in treating coughs. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners indicate that the pairing of green tea and red tea has conflicting properties and cannot effectively address specific patterns of symptoms. Treatment of cough in traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes pattern differentiation, with cough being subdivided into various types such as wind-cold cough, wind-heat cough, phlegm-damp cough, and yin-deficiency cough. Since patients' environments, constitutions, and symptoms vary, treatments should also be differentiated. If experiencing discomfort from a cough, it is advisable to consult a professional medical institution.

Green tea can clear lung heat and resolve phlegm, while red tea has functions to warm the spleen and stomach and assist in qi transformation, suitable for mixed cold and heat or for cough situations where phlegm heat transitions to cold. However, the therapeutic effects of this combination remain limited, and the addition of sugar may lead to phlegm dampness issues, further exacerbating cough symptoms.

In ancient texts of traditional Chinese medicine, "tea" typically refers to unfermented green tea, which is believed to be cold in nature and bitter in taste, having multiple effects such as clearing heat, aiding digestion, and promoting diuresis. Red tea, due to its fermentation, changes to warm in nature. Although there is no direct mention in ancient texts, its efficacy can be inferred from the processing variations of tea leaves and traditional Chinese medicine theory. According to the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine regarding flavors and their meridian affinities, red tea is sweet and slightly bitter, warm in nature, and primarily has regulating effects on the spleen, stomach, and heart, encompassing various benefits such as warming and tonifying, promoting circulation, and health preservation.