Guidelines on common cold for traditional Chinese medicine based on pattern differentiation

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Background:

• The common cold is a prevalent illness with diverse clinical presentations.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a pattern-based approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish evidence-informed guidelines for treating the common cold using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
• To standardize pattern identification for common cold management within TCM frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Integration of China Pharmacopeia common cold patterns with systematic literature review findings.
• Consensus-building among Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) experts to refine diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations.

Main Results:

• The guidelines categorize common cold into four distinct TCM patterns: wind-cold exterior syndrome, wind-heat exterior syndrome, summer-heat dampness exterior syndrome, and wind-cold exterior syndrome with Qi deficiency.
• Specific TCM herbal formulas, including Ganmaoqingre granule, Yinqiaojiedu granule, Huoxiangzhengqi Wan, and Shensu Wan, are recommended for each identified pattern.

Conclusions:

• The developed guidelines are primarily based on TCM clinical experience and expert consensus.
• The current guidelines acknowledge limitations due to a lack of extensive clinical studies and require further refinement.
• Future research and clinical data are essential for enhancing the evidence-based foundation of these TCM treatment guidelines.