Objective: To compare the difference in the therapeutic effect on post-infectious cough differentiated as wind-cold retention in the lung between the combined therapy of scraping and xuanfei zhisou decoction and the simple application of xuanfei zhisou decoction.
Methods: Eighty patients were randomized into a combined therapy group and a Chinese herbal medicine group, 40 cases in each one. In the Chinese herbal medicine group, the oral administration of xuanfei zhisou decoction was used. The main ingredients included roasted herba ephedrae, amygdalus communis vas, rhizoma zingiberis recens, platycodon grandiflorum, flos farfarae, pinellia temata, radix stemonae, herba periliae, etc., one dose a day, twice a day. In the combined therapy group, on the basis of the treatment as the Chinese herbal medicine group, scraping therapy was added and applied to the bladder meridian of foot-taiyang, the lung meridian of hand-taiyin, the conception vessel and the governor vessel, focusing on Tiantu (CV 22), Baihui (GV 20), Dazhui (GV 14), Feishu (BL 13), Fengmen (BL 12), Taiyuan (LU 9), Lieque (LU 7) and Fengchi (GB 20), once a week and one-week treatment as one session. Totally, the continuous two sessions were required in the two groups. The cough symptom score, cough remission time, relapse, TCM syndrome score, the score of Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ), SP concentration in the supernatant of the induced sputum before and after treatment as well as clinical efficacy were observed in the two groups.
Results: The cough symptom score, TCM symptom score and SP concentration in the supernatant of the induced sputum were all apparently reduced after treatment in the patients of the two groups (all P<0.01). The scores in the combined therapy group were reduced in the higher amplitude as compared with those in the Chinese herbal medicine group (all P<0.01). The total effective rate was 95.0% (38/40) in the combined therapy group, better than 87.5% (35/40) in the Chinese herbal medicine group (P<0.05). Regarding the cough remission time and relapse rate, the results in the combined therapy group were better than those in the Chinese herbal medicine group[(5.3±1.2) d vs (7.4±1.5) d, P<0.01; 0% (0/19) vs 62.5% (5/8), P<0.01]. The scoreo of LCQ was all apparently improved in the patients of the two groups (both P<0.01), and the score in the combined therapy group was higher than that in the Chinese herbal medicine group (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Scraping therapy combined with xuanfei zhisou decoction and the simple application of xuanfei zhisou decoction all relieve the symptoms of post-infectious cough and improves the living quality. The therapeutic effects of the combined therapy are superior to the oral administration of xuanfei zhisou decoction.
Keywords: Chinese herbal medicine; post-infectious cough; randomized controlled trial (RCT); scraping; xuanfei zhisou decoction.