What Kind of Cough Do You Have? How to Identify It and Treat It Naturally

Epoch Times ^ | 01/17/2026 | Kuo-Pin Wu

[SeekAndFind]

During the winter, coughing becomes one of the most common reasons for clinic visits. Many people mistake a persistent cough for an unresolved cold, turning to over-the-counter medications or throat lozenges, only to see little to no improvement. Meanwhile, in some cases, symptoms may worsen.

In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), treating a cough begins with identifying the pattern and determining whether it is caused by cold or heat, or by external factors or internal imbalances. This approach helps address the root cause rather than simply alleviating symptoms.

With proper home care and guidance, a chronic cough can often be effectively managed by first identifying the type of cough and then choosing the most appropriate treatment.

Types of Coughs

Coughing is a natural reflex that helps protect the body. From a TCM perspective, moderate coughing with clear phlegm helps expel deep-seated phlegm and clear the airways, leaving the lungs feeling refreshed. However, if a cough is accompanied by acute symptoms such as thick yellow phlegm, it may indicate a more serious condition, and medical attention should be sought promptly.

Coughs are classified according to characteristics such as the color and amount of phlegm, the sound of the cough, and the time of onset.

Heat-Type Cough

A heat-type cough is often marked by inflammation and excess internal heat, leading to thick phlegm, throat discomfort, and forceful coughing that tends to worsen during the day.

Cough Sound: Frequent, intense, loud, and forceful.

Phlegm: Yellow or green, thick, and sticky.

Timing: More common during the daytime.

Other Features: Often accompanied by a sore throat and a yellow tongue coating.

Relief Methods: Treatment focuses on clearing heat and reducing internal fire by avoiding spicy, fried, or other heat-inducing foods and beverages, such as grilled meats, sugary snacks, highly processed foods, and alcohol, which can aggravate the condition.

Cold-Type Cough

A cold-type cough typically stems from exposure to cold and wind, producing thin, clear phlegm and symptoms that are more noticeable at night or in cooler environments.

Cough Sound: Clear and crisp.

Phlegm: White, thin, and sometimes frothy.

Timing: More common at night.

Other Features: Often accompanied by chills, clear nasal discharge, and other signs of a wind-cold pattern—an external cold invasion carried by wind that blocks circulation at the body’s surface, causing chills, stiffness, and clear congestion

Relief Methods: Avoid cold or chilled beverages and limit the use of menthol or other cooling throat lozenges, as these may worsen the condition.

Dry-Type Cough

A dry-type cough is commonly linked to environmental or seasonal dryness and is characterized by irritation of the throat with little to no phlegm.

Cough Sound: Short and dry.

Phlegm: Little to none.

Timing: May occur both in the morning and at night; often seen during seasonal changes or after excessive use of voice

Other Features: Triggered by dryness, often causing an itchy throat and, at times, redness or swelling of the throat lining.

Relief Methods: Treatment focuses on moisturizing and soothing dryness, including drinking plenty of water to keep the throat well hydrated.

Deficiency-Type Cough

A deficiency-type cough develops when the body’s underlying energy is weakened, resulting in lingering symptoms that can persist long after an initial illness has passed.

Cough Sound: Weak, often accompanied by shortness of breath.

Phlegm: Clear and scant.

Timing: Persistent

Other Features: Common among people with weakened constitutions, such as those with asthma, older people, or people with chronic illnesses.

Relief Methods: Treatment focuses on nourishing the lung’s vital energy or “qi” and strengthening the spleen and kidneys. Herbal therapy may help restore balance and support immune function.

Apart from the above types of coughs, some may experience excessive or forceful coughing, which may cause tiny blood vessels in the airways to rupture, leading to small streaks of blood in the phlegm. This typically occurs during the inflammatory phase of a heat-type or dry-type cough and can often be relieved with medications that help clear internal heat.

However, if phlegm contains visible blood clots or a significant amount of bright red blood—or if coughing up blood occurs without any symptoms of a cold—the condition may be more serious. In such cases, immediate medical attention is essential to rule out possible structural abnormalities in the lungs.

After a confirmed diagnosis, TCM strategies can be used as a complementary approach to support recovery.

Other Causes of Persistent Cough

In clinical practice, many cases of prolonged cough—lasting more than three weeks—are not solely caused by external factors such as wind-cold, but are instead associated with chronic conditions, including the following:

Allergy and Postnasal Drip

Allergies are a common cause of a persistent cough, often triggered by postnasal drip that irritates the throat and airways over time.

Symptoms: Nasal allergies can cause postnasal drip, in which mucus flows down the back of the throat and irritates the pharynx and trachea, leading to coughing.

From a TCM Perspective: Nasal allergies are often associated with a deficiency-cold pattern involving the lungs, spleen, and kidneys.

When nasal congestion is severe, people tend to breathe through the mouth during sleep. This allows bacteria and viruses to enter the lungs directly, bypassing the nasal filtration process. Over time, this can affect sleep quality and may contribute to sleep apnea. Therefore, proper management of nasal allergies is essential.

Gastroesophageal Reflux

Gastroesophageal reflux can cause a chronic cough when stomach acid irritates the throat, particularly when lying down or during the night.

Symptoms: A typical feature is a dry cough that occurs when lying down at night, during the night, or early in the morning. It is often accompanied by a bitter taste in the mouth and throat discomfort upon waking.

Identification: Redness and irritation at the back of the throat observed during examination with a tongue depressor, in the absence of any acute cold symptoms, are strong indicators of gastroesophageal reflux.

Some patients experience coughing for up to six months, finding little improvement despite treatment by an otolaryngologist (ENT specialist). Once gastroesophageal reflux is properly managed, however, the cough often subsides within about two weeks.

TCM Approaches to Managing Chronic Cough

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers distinct advantages in treating chronic coughs that are persistent or recurrent.

Stage-Based Treatment

If a cough persists for more than two weeks without improvement, it often suggests that the condition has progressed from an acute external cause to an internal imbalance, such as a constitution marked by coldness or a mix of both cold and heat.

At this stage, continuing to take over-the-counter cough suppressants may further weaken the body’s resistance and delay recovery.

Consulting a qualified TCM practitioner for an individualized treatment plan tailored to your body constitution and stage of illness is recommended.

Restoring internal balance can help prevent a cough from becoming prolonged or recurring. Targeted herbal formulas can enhance immunity, shorten the duration of illness, and are nonhabit-forming, making them a suitable choice for children and people suffering from chronic coughs.

Diet and Herbal Medicine

Dietary choices and herbal remedies play an important role in managing chronic cough, either by reducing phlegm production or supporting the body’s natural healing processes.

Phlegm-Producing Foods: Excessively sweet foods tend to generate phlegm. People with abundant phlegm should avoid having too much loquat syrup or other sweetened cough remedies.

Cold and Cooling Foods: Chilled beverages and foods with cooling properties, such as melons and mint, can worsen cold-type coughs.

Herbal Medicine: Herbal products should be obtained from reputable sources that follow established quality and safety standards and are tested to be free of pesticide and heavy metal contamination.

Tianjiu Therapy

Tianjiu therapy is suitable for people with allergic or recurrent colds that lead to chronic cough. It includes the application of Sanfu Plasters during the hottest part of summer, usually between July and August. In this treatment, warm herbal pastes are placed on specific acupoints on the back—such as the lung back-transporting acupoint (“Feishu”)—for three days.

During the hot summer period, the pores open in response to heat, allowing the herbal pastes to penetrate the skin. This process helps strengthen lung function and expel deep-seated phlegm and cold. Tianjiu therapy is regarded as one of TCM’s classic preventive and restorative methods for managing asthma and chronic respiratory conditions.

Sanjiu Plaster treatment—applied during the coldest days of winter, known as Sanjiu days—can also help maintain lung health, though its effects are generally less pronounced than those of Sanfu Plasters.

In TCM, effective management for coughing involves not only improving one’s environment and diet but, more importantly, addressing the root cause through pattern-based diagnosis and treatment.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: chinesemedicine; cough; falungong; mullein

[Liz]

cough bkmk

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Apple cider heated with honey and orange slices. Add shot of ginger wine.

Drink.

Go to bed.

Cough gone.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Bookmark

[llevrok]

Go to bed with a hot bottle and a cold blonde
or a hot blonde and a cold bottle.
Either works

[OftheOhio]

I’m a big believer in Mullein Leaf Tea. I attribute it to saving my life in 2019. I couldn’t cough the phlegm out of my lungs to save me. The Tea worked. Think about it as far as a very thick cough syrup compared to a more liquid medium. It grows wild here in Ohio.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mullein-benefits

https://www.hawthorncenter.com/for-lung-health-get-to-know-mullein/

[OftheOhio]

Another interesting article about it’s history.

https://www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/plant-profile/herb-to-know-mullein-verbascum-thapsus/

[metmom]

They didn’t mention the Lisinopril cough.

Cure is to stop taking it.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Cough that doesn't go away. Get a small ozone generator.

not a doctor. not medical advice

[thinden]

bbb

[Bobbyvotes]

You are right about Lisinopril. But the dry cough caused is lesser evil than high blood pressure