Chronic Cough - Wind-Heat Invading the Lung Pattern

Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Chronic Cough · Wind-Heat Invading the Lung Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Chest

Pattern Overview

Wind-Heat Invading the Lung is a common pattern in chronic cough, characterized by post-infectious cough, yellow thick sputum, sore throat, and fever with aversion to wind. The core pathogenesis is invasion of Wind-Heat pathogens into the Lung, causing Lung Qi to fail to clear and descend, leading to cough and airway inflammation.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

| :— | :— |

| Primary Symptoms | Cough with coarse voice, yellow thick sputum, sore throat |

| Associated Symptoms | Fever with aversion to wind, thirst, nasal congestion with yellow discharge |

| Tongue and Pulse | Red tongue with thin yellow coating, floating and rapid pulse |

| Pathogenesis | Wind-Heat invading the Lung, Lung Qi failing to clear and descend |

| Etiology | Wind-Heat infection, viral or bacterial upper respiratory infection |

Acupuncture Point Prescription

| Point | Location | Function |

| :— | :— | :— |

| Dazhui (GV14) | Below the spinous process of C7 | Disperses Wind-Heat and clears Heat |

| Chize (LU5) | On the elbow crease, lateral side of the biceps tendon | He-Sea point of Lung meridian; clears Lung Heat |

| Feishu (BL13) | On the upper back, 1.5 cun lateral to T3 | Back-Shu point of Lung meridian; regulates Lung Qi |

| Hegu (LI4) | Dorsum of the hand, between the 1st and 2nd metacarpals | Source point of Large Intestine meridian; disperses Wind-Heat |

| Shaoshang (LU11) | On the radial side of the thumb, 0.1 cun from the nail corner | Well point of Lung meridian; clears Lung Heat and relieves sore throat |

Clinical Recommendation: Filiform needle, reducing method; Dazhui and Shaoshang may be pricked to bleed to enhance Heat clearing.

Herbal Formula

Base Formula: Sang Ju Yin (桑菊饮)

Composition:

Mulberry Leaf (Sang Ye), Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua), Apricot Kernel (Xing Ren), Forsythia (Lian Qiao), Mint (Bo He), Platycodon (Jie Geng), Reed Rhizome (Lu Gen), Licorice (Gan Cao)

Action: Disperses Wind-Heat, clears the Lung, and stops cough.

Modifications

| Associated Symptoms | Additions/Subtractions |

| :— | :— |

| Thick yellow sputum | Add Huang Qin, Gua Lou to clear Lung Heat and transform Phlegm |

| Severe sore throat | Add Ban Lan Gen, Xuan Shen to clear Heat and relieve sore throat |

| Fever | Add Shi Gao, Zhi Mu to clear Heat and generate fluids |

| Severe cough | Add Pi Pa Ye, Qian Hu to descend Qi and stop cough |

Western Mechanism Reference

Persistent airway inflammation post-upper respiratory infection, cough receptor sensitization, and impaired mucociliary clearance. Wind-Heat Invading the Lung corresponds to post-infectious cough, where airway inflammation and mucociliary dysfunction contribute to cough receptor sensitization and persistent cough.

References

  1. Internal Medicine of TCM - Cough with Wind-Heat Invading the Lung.

  2. DB-TCMJB: Wind-Heat Invading the Lung.

  3. DB-XJB: Sang Ju Yin.

  4. WHO. (2023). Respiratory health. World Health Organization.

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