Wind-heat syndrome

Secondary symptoms are accompanying symptoms that are not key symptoms in terms of syndrome identification but they should still be treated seriously. For example, in an exterior wind-heat syndrome, although cough is not as important a symptom as sore throat in terms of syndrome identification, it should still be treated as it causes suffering to the patient. 

No thirst and no sweating are the two key symptoms for differentiating between this syndrome and wind-heat syndrome, which manifests as fever, chills with sweating and thirst. 

Sang Ye and Ju Hua are bitter, sweet and cold, and enter the Lung and Liver meridians. They are often selected as chief herbs in the formula to treat a mild wind-heat syndrome when the wind-heat mainly affects the Lung. 

These two herbs are often selected as chief herbs in a formula to treat a common case of wind-heat syndrome. 

Lian Qiao is bitter, cold and aromatic, and enters the Heart and Small Intestine meridians. Although it does not enter the Lung meridian, it is still often used in formulas to treat wind-heat syndrome as a chief herb. This is because its aromatic smell can disperse the Qi in the Upper-Jiao and gently release the exterior, and it leaches out heat from the Heart through the Small Intestine. It is especially effective in dispersing and clearing heat in the Heart and relieving restlessness and a warm sensation in the chest. 

Zhu Ye is sweet and cold, and enters the Heart and Lung meridians. It can expel wind-heat in the Upper-Jiao, increase urination and therefore leach out heat from the Heart. It is often used in a wind-heat syndrome when the heat disturbs not only the Lung but also the Heart, which is manifested as restlessness and irritability. 

These two herbs are warm in temperature and very effective in treating headache and pain of the eyes and orbitae, which often exist in a wind-heat syndrome, especially in fever. The dosages of these two herbs in a formula should be small to avoid changing the principal temperature of the formula. 

Lu Gen is sweet and cold, and enters the Lung, Stomach and Kidney meridians. It is often used as assistant in a formula to treat a wind-heat syndrome because it not only clears heat but also generates body fluids, which have been injured by heat in a wind-heat syndrome. In addition, it is also used to treat nausea and belching when the heat from the Lung affects the Stomach. 

Bei Sha Shen is sweet and cold, and enters the Lung meridian. It can be used for the same purpose as Lu Gen. However, as it is sweeter and less cold than Lu Gen, it is only used at the recovery stage of a wind-heat syndrome where the exterior wind-heat barely exists but the Lung-Yin is still severely injured. 

This is a very effective and commonly used formula. Its function of reducing heat and heat-toxin is stronger than that of Sang Ju Yin (Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction), yet it is weaker in regulating the Lung-Qi. This formula, devised by Dr Wu Ju Tong, treats a common case of wind-heat syndrome. 

These two substances can effectively regulate the Lung-Qi. The ratio of Ma Huang to Shi Gao is about 1 4, thus the principal temperature of the formula is cold and it treats a wind-heat syndrome. 

Heat in the Defensive level is equal to exterior wind-heat syndrome discussed in Chapter 1. Although it does not belong in the internal heat syndrome category, it is mentioned here as a reference to offer a complete overview of febrile diseases. 

This syndrome is the initial stage of a warm-febrile disease and is equal to exterior wind-heat syndrome in Eight Principle Differentiation. The pathogenic factors are wind and heat. Their pathway of invasion is the nose and throat to the Lung. The wind-heat disturbs the function of the Lung and its related regions, the superficial parts of the body. In the differentiation of warm-febrile diseases, the term Wei syndrome indicates that the pathogenic factor is at the Wei level. 

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