Can patients with wind-cold感冒 take cooked Rehmannia?

Generally, patients with wind-cold common cold are not advised to take prepared rehmannia (Sh熟地黄). The detailed explanation is as follows:

Prepared rehmannia is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that functions to nourish and invigorate the blood, enrich yin, and replenish essence and marrow. It is primarily used to treat symptoms such as blood deficiency with sallow complexion, irregular menstruation, and kidney yin deficiency. However, prepared rehmannia is warm in nature and has nourishing and tonic properties, which may exacerbate the condition of patients suffering from wind-cold common cold.

Wind-cold common cold is caused by the invasion of external wind-cold pathogens, leading to impaired lung function and symptoms such as aversion to cold, fever, nasal congestion, clear nasal discharge, and cough. At this time, patients require medications that can dispel wind-cold and relieve exterior syndromes to help the body expel the cold pathogen and restore health.

Prepared rehmannia belongs to the category of nourishing and tonic herbs. Its warm nature may strengthen the internal cold pathogen, worsening the condition or prolonging the illness. Additionally, prepared rehmannia may interfere with the effectiveness of cold medications, hindering recovery. If Chinese herbal medicines are needed for regulation, suitable herbs should be selected under the guidance of a physician to ensure safe and effective medication use. Meanwhile, patients should also rest adequately and maintain healthy lifestyle habits to promote recovery.