Hello David! When we are looking for a formula in regards to treating lung conditions, how do we determine which energetic qualities in the plants to use depending on the condition of the lungs and the person? If my understanding is right, the key is to match the plants with the conditions of Damp/Dry or Cold/Hot. For this case, the person has asthma du to environmental irritants (wood stove and pet allergies), with no coughing and a sensation of not taking the air in effectively; can we consider the condition to be dry, having the effect of not being humid enough for an effective lung function of expectorating the allergens? What would be a good supporting formula for that condition? Do you think inflammation is playing a role in the difficulty breathing in? Can season also be a factor in choosing formulas, as now is a dryer and colder season, which makes us more prone to lung irritations and colds? Thank you

Most lung conditions can be looked at as hot or cold, damp or dry or having a wind component (spasm). The easiest way to determine which energetic pattern exists is by looking at the symptom picture. A lot of mucus is damp, if the mucus is yellow, green or bloody it is hot/damp. If the mucus is clear or white, it is cold/damp. If there is little mucus, it is sticky (or no mucus), it is dry. Yellow sticky mucus is hot/dry and white or clear sticky mucus is cold/dry. Spasm, a ticklish cough is wind. Asthma is always caused by inflammation, your case could be wind/heat although it could be wind/heat with dryness. In TCM the inability to get a full inhalation is associated with another pattern, Kidneys not grasping the Lung Qi, caused by deficient kidney yang. One of the main herbs for this is Schisandra (which is also strongly anti-inflammatory). Another possibility is deficient lung qi caused by dryness which can exacerbate asthma (yin tonics such as Ophiopogon, Prince Seng, Glehnia, Chinese Asparagus are used for this).