Peppermint, fresh ginger, tangerine peel, perilla leaves, and cinnamon are some of the traditional remedies used in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to treat rhinitis. The dosage and combinations must depend on the specific condition.
Acute Rhinitis
Causes: Caused by external factors, such as wind and cold.
Symptoms: Symptoms include itchy nose, sneezing, headaches, tired limbs, back pain, and clear, watery nasal discharge that eventually becomes thicker, nasal congestion, headache, mild fever, and fatigue.
The prescription includes 10 g of patchouli, 10 g of magnolia bark, 10 g of peppermint, 8 g of angelica, 12 g of fresh ginger, 12 g of caper, and 12 g of perilla leaves. Boil with 600 ml of water until 300 ml remains. Drink warm and cover yourself with a blanket to sweat it out. Take three times a day, 100 ml each time (half a cup). On the second day, do not cover yourself with a blanket anymore. Continue for three days.
Allergic Rhinitis
Causes: Allergic rhinitis is also acute rhinitis but is caused by allergens such as cold or hot weather, dust, tobacco smoke, pollen, pet dander, food, and medications.
Symptoms: Seasonal rhinitis: The symptoms often appear suddenly at the beginning of cold or hot seasons. Typically, in the morning, patients experience continuous sneezing, itchy, red eyes, and tears. The nasal discharge is clear and profuse. Patients may feel fatigued and have headaches. The condition lasts from 3 to 5 days. Symptoms may improve without treatment or when changing to a location with fresher air (but will recur upon returning to the previous location). This is classified as short-term rhinitis. If left untreated and recurring frequently, the condition worsens, the nasal mucosa gradually deteriorates and becomes infected, leading to yellow nasal discharge, occasional mild fever, headaches, and frequent nasal congestion.
Non-seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: This type has two additional characteristics: symptoms do not appear according to the weather, and each sneezing episode involves only a few sneezes, but nasal congestion lasts longer. The nasal mucosa is always swollen, making it prone to degeneration, leading to chronic rhinitis.
Prescription: The formula includes 16 g of astragalus, 10 g of saposhnikovia, 12 g of white atractylodes, 8 g of cinnamon, 16 g of dang shen, 12 g of peony root, 4 g of ephedra, 8 g of xanthium, 3 slices of fresh ginger, and 3 jujube fruits. Boil with 600 ml of water until 300 ml remains. Drink warm three times a day, 100 ml each time.
Chronic Allergic Rhinitis: Ingredients include 12 g each of patchouli, perilla, saposhnikovia, and isatis root; 16 g of horsetail, 8 g of peppermint, 8 g of magnolia flower, 6 g each of angelica, platycodon root, and licorice, and 10 g of rhizoma drynariae. Boil with 600 ml of water until 300 ml remains. Drink warm three times a day, 100 ml each time. If the nasal discharge is clear, add 12 g of notopterygium. If the discharge is yellow and thick, add 12 g each of scutellaria and mulberry bark.
