Treat cough and stop wheezing (zhi ke, ping chuan)

Herbs that treat cough and stop wheezing (zhi ke, ping chuan) open and moisten the lungs, directing qi downwards to resolve the counterflow that causes cough and wheezing.

Common examples include xing ren (apricot kernel, Prunus armeniaca), sang bai pi (mulberry root bark, Morus alba), zi su zi (perilla, Perilla frutescens) and pi pa ye (loquat leaf, Eriobotrya japonica).

Since cough and wheezing is a branch or manifestation of a problem, it is important that they are combined with herbs that treat the root, such as exterior releasing, phlegm resolving, heat clearing or yin tonifying herbs.