Trichosanthes Fruit Tablets

Trichosanthes Fruit Tablets is based on Beimu Gualou San (Fritillaria and Trichosanthes Fruit Powder), used to treat yellow phlegm, viscous sputum, or dry cough. This symptom pattern usually arises with infections, but may persist for a few days even after an infection has been effectively treated. The traditional formula utilized fritillaria (chuan bei mu), trichosanthes fruit, citrus, and platycodon, four herbs for resolving phlegm accumulation, along with hoelen and trichosanthes root (which have not been included here). These latter two herbs are substituted by scute, polygala, and licorice: scute is included to alleviate lung heat, polygala to help resolve phlegm, and licorice to act as a soothing anti-inflammatory. These herbs also provide a mild sedative quality to calm the agitation caused by chronic coughing. This formula differs from Belamcanda 15 and Stemona Tablets, which contain a larger proportion of herbs to treat the infection (clean toxin), but with a relatively low proportion of herbs to resolve phlegm. As such, these other formulas may be more suitable for the initial treatment of the disease, to eliminate the infectious agent, while Trichosanthes Fruit Tablets may be used along with them or later, to resolve phlegm and treat persisting mucus disorder. This formula is also suitable for treating rhinitis and sinusitis which is of the phlegm-heat type. A contrasting formula is Blue Earth Dragon, which is intended for treatment of watery mucus discharge--usually clear rather than colored yellow--associated with a cold-phlegm disorder. See also: Qing Qi Hua Tan Pian (Pine Mountain).