What to eat for quick relief from cough with phlegm due to cold?

Dec 12, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health

Dr. Sun Lianqing

Introduction

Foods and beverages suitable for cough with phlegm due to cold include ginger tea with brown sugar, stewed pear with Fritillaria (Chuan Bei), tangerine peel and radish soup, almond porridge, and perilla leaf tea. Ginger is warm in nature and helps warm the middle jiao, dispel cold, and resolve phlegm from the lungs. Brown sugar benefits qi, nourishes blood, and warms the stomach to counteract cold. Drinking a decoction of both ingredients can alleviate cough caused by cold pathogens, dilute phlegm, and reduce symptoms such as aversion to cold and copious clear sputum.

For cold-type cough with phlegm, suitable foods or beverages generally include ginger and brown sugar water, stewed pear with Fritillaria (Chuanbei), tangerine peel and radish soup, almond porridge, and perilla leaf tea. Detailed explanations are as follows:

1. Ginger and Brown Sugar Water: Ginger is warm in nature and helps warm the stomach, dispel cold, and resolve lung phlegm. Brown sugar benefits qi, nourishes blood, and warms the stomach to relieve cold. Drinking this decoction can alleviate cough caused by cold pathogens, dilute phlegm, and reduce symptoms such as aversion to cold and clear, watery sputum. It is suitable for daily consumption to regulate health.

2. Stewed Pear with Fritillaria (Chuanbei): Although pears are naturally cooling, their cold nature diminishes after stewing. When combined with Fritillaria, this preparation moistens the lungs, resolves phlegm, clears heat, and promotes body fluid production. After cooking, the soft fruit and warm broth nourish dryness in the lungs, relieve throat dryness and itching associated with cold cough, aid in expelling phlegm, and offer a mild taste that is easily absorbed.

3. Tangerine Peel and Radish Soup: Tangerine peel regulates qi, strengthens the spleen, dries dampness, and transforms phlegm, while white radish promotes downward movement of qi, relieves abdominal fullness, moistens the lungs, and stops coughing. Consuming this soup helps unblock lung qi and resolve damp-phlegm, improving excessive phlegm and chest tightness caused by cold cough. It is especially suitable for individuals with weak digestive function.

4. Almond Porridge: Almonds are warm in nature and effective in lowering qi, stopping cough, moistening the intestines, and promoting bowel movements. Cooked with rice into a porridge, it nourishes the spleen and stomach and warms the lungs to resolve phlegm. This gentle and easily digestible dish provides nutritional support and helps relieve symptoms of cold cough with phlegm, making it ideal for morning and evening meals.

5. Perilla Leaf Tea: Perilla leaf is warm and pungent, capable of relieving exterior syndromes, dispelling cold, regulating qi, harmonizing the stomach, and assisting in resolving phlegm and suppressing cough. Brewed as a tea, it helps expel internal cold pathogens, alleviating cough and phlegm caused by cold-type cough. With its refreshing aroma, it is suitable for daily health regulation.

Diet during episodes of cold cough with phlegm should primarily consist of warm, light foods. Avoid raw, cold, greasy, and spicy foods to prevent worsening of symptoms. If cough persists or worsens, seek timely medical attention to avoid delayed diagnosis and treatment.

View All

How to differentiate between cough due to lung heat and cough due to lung cold

Heat cough and cold cough due to lung cold differ significantly in symptoms because of their distinct pathogenic factors. The key differences mainly include etiology and pathogenesis, characteristics of cough and sputum, accompanying symptoms, sensations in the mouth and nose, as well as tongue coating and pulse manifestations. Differentiation requires comprehensive assessment based on the full range of symptoms to avoid misjudgment from isolated signs. Treatment should be targeted according to the specific pattern, with medications used appropriately and strictly following medical guidance to ensure safety and effectiveness.

View Full Answer

Who should not eat lily bulbs

Although lily bulbs have benefits such as nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, they are not suitable for everyone. People who should avoid consuming lily include those with deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, wind-cold cough, loose stools, excessive phlegm-dampness, and those allergic to lilies. When consuming lily bulbs, it is important to observe relevant contraindications and precautions, and to choose appropriate usage based on individual constitution to ensure safety and suitability.

View Full Answer

Is Su Huang Zhi Ke Capsule suitable for wind-cold or wind-heat?

Suhuang Zhike Capsules are more suitable for coughs related to wind-cold; their use in cases of wind-heat cough may worsen symptoms. The key ingredients of this medication include Perilla leaf and Ephedra, which are predominantly warm-natured herbs that function to dispel wind, relieve lung congestion, suppress cough, and soothe the throat. It is particularly effective for relieving discomfort caused by wind-cold-induced cough, characterized by an itchy throat, heavy-sounding cough, and scanty, sticky phlegm, thus meeting the therapeutic needs for managing wind-cold cough.

View Full Answer

Can taking Zhisou Lif效 Pills cause excessive internal heat (fire)?

Zhike Lixiao Pills, when taken as directed, generally do not cause excessive internal heat ("fire"). However, individuals with a naturally heat-prone constitution or those who take an excessive dosage may experience symptoms of heatiness. The ingredients in Zhike Lixiao Pills are primarily herbs that relieve cough and asthma, dispel wind, and scatter cold. With a mild nature, these pills are specifically formulated for conditions such as wind-cold cough. When used at the normal dose, they effectively alleviate symptoms without easily causing internal heat, and most patients do not experience related discomfort.