Apricot Pear Tea for Moistening Lungs and Stopping Cough

[Source] Practical Chinese Nutritional Medicine
[Composition] 10 grams of bitter apricot kernel, 1 large duck pear, 20 grams of rock sugar.
[Function] Moistens lungs and stops coughing.
[Indication] Dryness in mouth, nose, and throat, thirst, dry cough without phlegm or with little sticky phlegm that is hard to expel.
[Preparation] First, remove the skin and tip of the apricot kernels, crush them. Wash the duck pear, do not peel, only remove the core, cut into pieces. Add water and boil until cooked, then add rock sugar until dissolved. Drink as tea, anytime.
[Comment] Apricot kernels are bitter, slightly warm, with slight toxicity. They have the function of relieving Qi stagnation, stopping cough, and calming asthma. According to "Zhenzhu Nang": "Removes lung heat, treats upper-jiao wind-dryness, improves chest congestion, and moistens intestinal constipation." The amygdalin in apricot kernels breaks down slowly in the body after oral intake, releasing small amounts of hydrogen cyanide, which has a sedative effect on the respiratory center, making breathing more tranquil and thus achieving cough suppression and asthma relief. However, due to its slight toxicity, it should not be taken in excess. Duck pear is sweet and slightly sour, cool in nature. It has functions of generating fluids, moistening dryness, clearing heat, and resolving phlegm. According to "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Moistens lungs, cools the heart, clears phlegm, reduces fire, detoxifies skin sores and alcohol poisoning." Rock sugar can tonify the middle energizer, strengthen the stomach, moisten the lungs, stop coughing, and dissolve phlegm. Together, these three herbs have the effect of moistening the lungs and stopping coughing. Therefore, this tea is especially effective for coughs with little sticky phlegm that is difficult to expel due to lung dryness.