What should I do if I have a cold with wind-cold and vomiting?

Written by Xia Min
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Updated on June 24, 2025
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Cold-induced vomiting is generally due to external wind-cold invasion combined with internal damp stagnation. The main clinical symptoms include chills and fever, headache, chest and diaphragmatic oppression, nausea, and vomiting. Clinically, Huoxiang Zhengqi Powder with modifications is commonly used, a formula originating from the Song Dynasty’s "Taiping Huimin Heji Ju Fang." Its main effects are to release the exterior, transform dampness, regulate qi, and harmonize the stomach. The formula primarily contains Chinese medicinal ingredients such as patchouli, costus root, perilla leaf, angelica dahurica, poria, pinellia ternata prepared with ginger, atractylodes, tangerine peel, magnolia bark, and licorice. Patchouli can expel external wind-cold and transform internal damp turbidity; Pinellia prepared with ginger and tangerine peel can regulate qi, dry dampness, harmonize the stomach, and reduce reverse flow. Atractylodes and poria can strengthen the spleen and transform dampness; Costus root and magnolia bark can move qi and transform dampness. Perilla leaf resolves external wind-heat and moves qi to stop vomiting; Angelica dahurica also has the function of drying dampness. (Medicines should be taken under the guidance of a physician according to the actual situation.)

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Foods to avoid for colds and coughs

For patients with colds and coughs, it is essential to be cautious about certain foods in daily life, which are best avoided. For example, spicy, greasy, raw, cold, and stimulating foods should be avoided. Also, carbonated beverages, strong tea, coffee, or alcoholic drinks should be avoided to prevent worsening the cold and cough symptoms. Additionally, some tropical fruits like mango, durian, longan, and lychee should also be avoided. These fruits are warm in nature and may exacerbate phlegm production, aggravating the cold and cough. During a cold and cough, it is advisable to eat a bland diet, such as properly consuming apples, pears, bananas, grapefruits, and oranges. It's also important to drink plenty of water, which can help soothe the throat.

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Can I eat mangoes if I have a cold and a stuffy nose?

Colds belong to respiratory system diseases, and the factors causing colds in clinical settings are often due to low immune function in patients. A slight carelessness or getting chilled can lead to the invasion of viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens into the respiratory tract, causing inflammatory lesions. In clinical settings, patients with a cold often experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and some also have varying degrees of coughing. For patients with a cold, we recommend that they eat more foods high in vitamins. Especially fresh fruits, such as apples, pears, mangoes, strawberries, kiwis, and even watermelons, can all be appropriately consumed. Therefore, when a patient with a cold has nasal congestion, they can eat mangoes. Because mangoes are very nutritious, containing a variety of vitamins and trace elements needed by the body.

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The difference between wind-heat cold and wind-cold cold

The pathogenic factors of Wind-Heat cold and Wind-Cold cold are different in traditional Chinese medicine. Wind-Heat cold is considered to be caused by the pathogenic factor of wind-heat, whereas Wind-Cold cold is considered to be caused by the pathogenic factor of wind-cold. The symptoms of the two also differ: Wind-Heat cold often involves obvious fever and a less pronounced fear of cold, while Wind-Cold cold definitely includes a sensation of chilliness, which may or may not accompany a fever. Both types involve symptoms of nasal congestion and a runny nose; however, the nasal discharge in Wind-Heat cold is often yellow and turbid, whereas in Wind-Cold cold, it is typically clear. Wind-Heat cold often accompanies a sore throat, whereas a sore throat is rare in cases of Wind-Cold cold. The treatments for the two also differ: Wind-Heat cold is typically treated by resolving the exterior and clearing heat, while Wind-Cold cold is treated by resolving the exterior and expelling cold.

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Is the sore throat caused by a cold-cold or a cold-heat cold?

Sore throat is generally caused by wind-heat cold, while wind-cold cold is caused by exposure to wind and cold, clinically manifested by mild fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, and no sore throat. Wind-heat cold is caused by exposure to wind-heat, typically presenting with severe fever, chills, dry mouth, sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, and yellow phlegm. However, sore throat can also be caused by cold enclosing heat. During a cold, it is important to pay attention to a light diet and avoid eating overly greasy or spicy food.

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Can scraping (gua sha) treat a cold?

Gua Sha is one of the methods used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating and preventing diseases. It is often performed on the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, which is located on the back of the human body. The Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang is superficial and acts as the first line of defense when external pathogens invade the body. By scraping the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, it stimulates the meridians and channels, enhances the body's immunity, and promotes the expulsion of pathogenic factors by strengthening the body’s vital energy. According to TCM, "when the vital energy is preserved within, pathogens cannot interfere." Therefore, scraping the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang can help in treating and preventing the common cold.