Chinese medicine for cough & flu? Hao Zao San, Cordyceps, Bird Nests, 'Suet kap'..

My kids are down with cough and flu AGAIN! Will it never end?? They have been taking medicine for close to a month already and now, a second bout of cough and flu attacked again.


The earlier cough was almost subsiding. I was still skeptical about the effects of Singular and worried, like most moms do, about administering drugs to my kids for long period of time. I turned to Chinese medicine. My little mind tells me that Chinese medicine being herbs and roots (and I mean genuine ones with no ++ ingredients if you know what I mean) should be better than drugs. No science here really... just my mind on overdrive mode :)


I bought 2 types of Chinese medicine - known to most moms - Hou Zao San (Monkey Bezoar Powder) and Cordyceps Powder. They don't come cheap - costed me RM90 each. And if I buy from Eu Yan Sang, it would be more expensive at RM138 for Hou Zao San. Price aside, it works! According to Eu Yan Sang, Hou Zao San is supposed to 'clear excessive phlegm, relieve cough and asthmatic bronchitis, especially suitable for infants suffering from chronic cough'. My mom gave me lots of it when I was a kid. Cordyceps is supposed to help strengthen the lungs. It comes with various grades and can be as expensive as few thousand Ringgit. Too soon to see the effect yet.

As I was saying, it was subsiding when the 2nd round of cough and flu attacked again! My husband thought that it was better to take them to see the pediatrician. Guess what! Both sons got ear infection again! Can Hao Zao San help here? No idea. Once again, the works... antibiotic, cough, phlegm, flu medicine. Sigh!

One thing for sure, I need to 'poh' (cantonese for 'strengthen health wise') their lungs and natural defense system. The chinese sin seh recommended the expensive bird nest and cordyceps. I have the cordyceps now - thats fine. And I choose 'suet kap' (sorry, not sure what you call this in English) over bird nests. Works about the same way I was told, and it is cheaper. And also it is largely because you just don't know how genuine the bird nests is. There have been talks about bleaching agent in bird nests. My late gynae also told me not to take bird nests when I was pregnant as we don't know if it is really genuine. The fake ones are made of 'petroleum' components which is harmful to the fetus. My pediatrician is worried about infection. So, to play it safe, I got the 'suet kap' instead. Have yet to prepare it (double boil with sugar cane rock sugar) as my kids have to be well and healthy first. Waiting ...