Cilantro, white radish, and ginger have been all the rage on WeChat recently, rumored to reduce fever. Is this true?
A widely circulated WeChat message among mothers reads: "My highly skilled doctor friend strongly advises everyone to forward this! Don't give IV drips to children with a fever. Three vegetables can eliminate the illness. Even the most severe cold will be gone in no time! Let me tell all mothers a remedy for reducing fever, given by a veteran TCM doctor when a child is sick. Use 3-4 stalks of cilantro, leaves removed, keeping the stems and roots, 2-3 slices of white radish, and 1-2 slices of ginger. Add rock sugar and water and boil for 15 minutes. Let it cool to a suitable temperature for the child to drink. After drinking, the child will sweat and the fever will subside. Mothers, you can give it a try, the effect is excellent..." This widely shared WeChat message also reminds mothers: "When a child is sick with a fever, do not easily give them fever reducers or IV drips. A TCM doctor told me that once a child receives an IV drip, they will get sick again in about one to one and a half months because of a decline in immune function."
Can even the most severe cold be cured immediately by drinking the soup made from these three vegetables? On this matter, Cui Xia, Director of the Pediatric Department at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, says this remedy does have the effects of expelling wind and cold from the surface of the body, promoting digestion, and harmonizing the stomach. It has a certain auxiliary effect on treating children's colds, as it can dispel wind-cold, induce sweating, and promote gastrointestinal digestion. However, to expect these three vegetables to cure all colds is "too absolute." Cui Xia explains that this remedy is suitable for children who have caught a wind-cold, in the early stages of a cold, with not very high body temperature, slight runny nose, and no obvious sore throat. "In fact, colds are mostly caused by viruses. In the early stages, getting plenty of rest and drinking more plain water can also help with recovery," Cui Xia explains. The "cold" in TCM is referred to as an upper respiratory tract infection in Western medicine. Colds include the common cold and seasonal influenza (the flu). Herpangina, tonsillitis, etc., all belong to upper respiratory tract infections. If a child's fever exceeds 38.5°C, you cannot rely on drinking water or this remedy to reduce the fever. Not only will it not work, but it might also aggravate the heat. It is necessary to take fever-reducing medication when needed. "This is mainly because a child's thermoregulatory and nervous systems are not yet fully developed. Some children with persistent high fevers may have febrile seizures." For children with fever caused by bacterial infections, antibiotics should be used rationally under a doctor's guidance.
Cui Xia said she once treated a 4-year-old child who had a fever for 5 days. The mother insisted on non-drug treatment. When they went to the hospital, an X-ray revealed pneumonia. Many diseases initially present as a fever. If a child's fever recurs and does not subside, it is necessary to see a doctor. Regarding IV drips, there are also parents who go to extremes. Some parents insist on IV drips, while others are firmly against them. Like the widely circulated WeChat message that claims getting one IV drip will make a child sick again within a month, Cui Xia says that only irrational, repeated, and frequent use of antibiotic IV drips can lead to a child's immune dysfunction, microbial imbalance, drug resistance, and getting sick again soon after an infusion. "If an IV drip were really that dangerous, health authorities would have intervened long ago."
As a TCM physician, Cui Xia says she is happy that people trust the efficacy of TCM, but one cannot be absolute or exaggerate the effect of a specific prescription or folk remedy, otherwise, TCM will be mythologized. Parents need to master some basic knowledge about children's healthcare. Even for a "minor illness" like a cold, once a child's condition worsens, with persistent high fever and uncontrolled coughing, they must be taken to the hospital. Never let a minor illness turn into a major one.