Cough

Cough has two principal types of causes, exogenous and endogenous. Exogenous cough is due to attack by an exogenous pathogenic evil on the lung system. Most commonly Wind attacks first and is subsequently joined by Cold, Heat, Dryness or the others. Attack on the lung system disturbs the dispersing and descending actions of lung-Qi, and lung-Qi ascends abnormally causing illness. Thus, exogenous cough is a condition of strength of the exogenous evil. If the exogenous evils cannot be removed promptly, there may be further development or complication, such as Wind-Cold transforming into Heat, Wind-Heat transforming into Dryness, or Lung-Heat transforming tejh normal fluids into the pathogenic Phlegm.