Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have developed an even more large concern regards to our health. Common cold symptoms can often be confused with COVID. While they are both respiratory tract infections, common cold or influenza is more superiorly located (in the pharynx aka nose, instead of the trachea).
History has recorded that Chinese medicine was used to treat pandemics and common colds as far as 3000 years ago. Ancient Chinese medical texts have theorized that there are different types of common cold and flu. Being able to distinguish the difference between the two determined whether or not the patient could successfully resolve the condition.
To keep it simple, there are two basic types of common cold: "hot" and "cold."
General Signs of Common Cold
Fever, chills, nasal congestion, cough, sneezing, spontaneous bodyache and headache
"Hot" Influenza
"Hot" flus are caused by heat pathogen. They have the same symptoms, but the fever is stronger than the chills. Heat also evaporates fluids from mucosa, so there is sore throat and slight thirst.
Sore throat, slight thirst, more prevalent fever, only slight chills in the beginning
These are generally treated by clearing and releasing the hot disease factors. We recommend using a combination of Chrysanthemum flower and Peppermint leaf tea.
Chrysanthemum is moist and soothing for the throat, but can also clear and lift heat and inflammation from the upper respiratory tract and eyes.
Peppermint is pungent but also cooling, so it is effective for clearing and releasing heat trapped in the upper respiratory tract and eyes.
"Cold" Flu
"Cold" flus are caused by cold pathogen. The fever and chills are at the same level. Sometimes the chills can be more prominent and tend to persist throughout the duration of the illness. In "cold" flus, there isn't sore throat nor slight thirst.
More chills or equal amount of fever and chills; no sore throat; no thirst
These are treated by warming and dispelling the cold disease factors. We recommend using a combination of the bulb of scallion stalks and fresh ginger root tea.
ONLY use the white bulbous part of the green scallion. It is spicy and light, so it can induce sweating to release cold pathogens while warming the respiratory tract.
Ginger is warm and pungent, so it is good for inducing sweat to release cold pathogens.
Common Cold/Flu vs COVID-19
COVID-19 may have symptoms of typical common cold, but there are other notable characteristics of actual lung organ involvement, mainly due to pneumonia:
Breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste
