How to Treat Allergies and Prevent Frequent Colds in Children by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc

Allergy medications like Allegra and Nasacort are one way to go if you need an allergy medication. Another general allergy relief product is the Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jade Windscreen. Traditionally, it is indicated for allergy prevention and frequent colds. This Q&A about child allergy gives information about all of this, and discusses the plum flower brand herb formula made by the Mayway Corp.

Question: I am new to Chinese Medicine and have taken my adult-sized 13 year old to an Acupuncturist who has prescribed Plum Flower brand Jade Screen Tea Pills for her (Yu Ping Feng San Wan). She has been directed to take 12 pills 1X daily to help her with her immune system and allergies. It is distributed by Mayway and has huang qi, bai zhu, and fang feng. I am trying to investigate these herbs to determine if they could harm her in any way. She is currrently taking Allegra and Nasacort, a steroid nasal spray, for allergies. Do you have any info or recommendations of sources of info for me? Many thanks!

-Marjie

A: Marjie, that is a great question!

I'm glad you are trying to stay informed- a bit of skepticism toward any medicine makes sense these days... There is a lot of weird stuff that gets passed under the guise of 'Alternative Medicine.'

Welcome to Oriental Medicine! Chinese herbal medicine is quite different from western pharmaceutical medicine. I am glad that you are seeing a practitioner for herbs- herbal self-prescription can be dangerous. If your acupuncturist has been trained in herbs (the degree of herbal training varies by school and by state), then they should know what they're doing.

YPFS (Yu Ping Feng San) is often prescribed for exactly the purpose you described. It is also commonly taken to prevent colds, especially if they are chronic. It may take 1-5 months for the effect to take hold. YPFS is indicated for people with symptoms of: aversion to drafts, spontaneous sweating (without exercise), recurrent colds, shiny pale complexion, and these signs: pale Tongue with white coating, floating deficient soft Pulse.

Explaining the actions of any herbal formula can be as complex as one of those pharmaceutical package inserts with all the biomchemistry, drawings of molecules, etc. Oriental Medicine is its own complete system of medicine complete with its own set of terms and concepts. But I will attempt to explain YPFS to you in regular English:

Huang Qi (astragalus) strengthens the qi, and regulates the exterior; this means that it strengthens the wei qi (the type of qi that most closely correlates with white blood cell immunoactivity). By stabilizing the exterior, HQ prevents inappropriate sweating and makes it hard for pathogens (allergens, viruses, etc.) to enter. HQ is a very safe herb. More on Astragalus and viruses.

Bai Zhu (atractylodis) strengthens qi in the center of the body (the digestive system), which according to Oriental Medical theory, indirectly strengthens wei qi.

Fang Feng (ledebouriellae) is also generally a wei qi level herb which expels wind (Wind is an Oriental Medical concept, not easy to explain in a few words, but perhaps you can think of it as "any external disease-causing agent that could overwhelm the immune system."). F.Y.I. the word feng means wind... just the same in this herb's name as in the name of the formula.

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BIO:

Acupuncturist, herbalist, and medical professor Brian B. Carter founded the alternative health megasite The Pulse of Oriental Medicine (http://www.PulseMed.org/). He is the author of the book "Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind: How to Heal Yourself with Foods, Herbs, and Acupressure" (November, 2004). Brian speaks on radio across the country, and has been quoted and interviewed by Real Simple, Glamour, and ESPN magazines.

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