My child recently caught a cold and has been coughing non-stop. A neighbor provided a home remedy for the cough: pour sesame oil into an orange, steam it until cooked, and eat it 3 times a day, 1-2 oranges each time. They said it would get better in three days.
This recipe makes some sense, and the main ingredient is orange peel.
The main cause of cough is cold pathogens affecting the lungs. Orange peel, when processed into a traditional Chinese medicine called Chenpi, is bitter, pungent, and warm. Its pungent nature disperses lung qi, its bitterness drains lung qi, and its warmth dispels cold, thus treating cough with excessive phlegm. Chenpi also has a fragrant aroma that promotes the flow of qi in the spleen and stomach. Since the spleen and stomach are responsible for transforming and transporting fluids, Chenpi can remove dampness and resolve phlegm. Li Shizhen said, "Orange peel is bitter, which can drain and dry; pungent, which can disperse and harmonize. Its ability to treat various diseases always relies on its function of regulating qi and drying dampness."
However, because dried tangerine peel is bitter, pungent, and warm in nature, it can easily damage qi and yin. Therefore, this formula uses a whole tangerine and sesame oil. Tangerine pulp is sweet and sour, and warm in nature. It has the effects of stimulating appetite, regulating qi, relieving cough, and moistening the lungs, and can suppress the pungent and drying properties of dried tangerine peel. Tangerine pith is the reticular fibrous network inside the tangerine peel. It is sweet, bitter, and neutral in nature. In addition to resolving phlegm and relieving cough, it also has the effects of promoting qi circulation and unblocking the meridians. It is mainly used to treat symptoms such as chest and rib pain, cough, and phlegm caused by phlegm stagnation in the meridians.
Sesame oil is then poured into the orange and heated. Sesame oil is sweet and neutral in nature, and has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys, moisturizing dryness, and relieving constipation. Used here, it serves three purposes: first, to counteract the dryness of the dried tangerine peel; second, to directly moisturize lung dryness; and third, to lubricate the intestines and promote bowel movements. The lungs and large intestine are internally and externally related; when bowel movements are smooth, lung qi is more likely to return to normal.
However, it should be noted that this formula is rather weak and may only be effective for mild coughs caused by lung cold. It is not suitable for more severe cases of coughs caused by cold. In addition, coughs are not always caused by lung cold; they can also be caused by lung dryness, liver qi stagnation, pharyngitis, etc., and this formula is not suitable for these conditions.
