Dry throat refers to the dryness of the throat area.

This symptom was first mentioned in Huangdi Neijing Suwen, such as "dry throat," "dryness of the throat and pharynx," and "dry throat."

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Wind-heat Invading the Lung︰The throat is dry with a burning sensation, or feels painful and itchy, accompanied by thirst and a desire to drink. It may also present with symptoms of external contraction of wind-heat, such as fever, aversion to wind, headache, nasal congestion, redness and swelling of the throat's mucous membrane, etc. The tongue appears red with a thin white or thin yellow coating, and the pulse is floating and rapid. Dry throat due to wind-heat attacking the lung is caused by wind-heat pathogens or wind-cold stagnating and transforming into heat. It often manifests as thirst with a desire to drink, cough with yellow phlegm, and sore throat. Treatment should focus on clearing and ventilating lung heat, and Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction is the primary prescription.
2. Dryness-heat Damaging Lung︰Dry throat and nose, dry cough without phlegm, or with scant sticky phlegm that is difficult to expectorate, often accompanied by chest pain, fever, headache, and general soreness and discomfort. The throat mucosa is red and dry. The tongue texture is red with thin white coating, and the pulse is floating, thin, and rapid. This is due to dryness-heat pathogens damaging lung fluids, with dryness as the main symptom—dry throat and nose, dry cough without phlegm, or with little phlegm. Treatment should focus on relieving dryness and moistening the lungs, preferably with modified Mulberry Leaf and Apricot Kernel Decoction.
3. Spleen-Stomach Heat Excess︰Dry throat and mouth, thirst with desire to drink, foul breath, burning pain in the epigastric region, acid regurgitation, dry stool and dark urine, red and sticky pharyngeal membrane, red tongue texture, yellow coating, slippery and rapid pulse. Both the spleen and stomach meridians traverse the throat. If there is inherent heat in the spleen and stomach, or if external pathogens transform into heat upon entering the interior, or due to excessive consumption of spicy and rich foods, the heat from the spleen and stomach may flare upward to the throat, causing dryness. Symptoms of spleen-stomach heat (thirst with desire for cold drinks, fetid mouth odor, burning epigastric pain, etc.) should be addressed by clearing and purging spleen-stomach fire, using Stomach-Clearing Powder with modifications.
4. Liver-Gallbladder Stagnation Heat︰Dry throat, bitter taste in the mouth, dizzy vision, fullness and oppression in the chest and hypochondrium, aversion to drinking, vexation and vomiting, alternating chills and fever. The throat is sticky with a red membrane, the tongue coating is thin and yellow, the tongue body is red, and the pulse is wiry and thin. Since the liver and gallbladder govern ascending and spreading, and their nature favors free movement, they are prone to stagnation and transforming into fire, which rises to steam the throat, resulting in dry throat. Treatment should focus on {|###|}clearing the liver and draining fire{|###|}, and Angelica, Gentian and Aloe Pill is appropriate. Additionally, dry throat is often accompanied by symptoms such as bitter taste in the mouth and dizzy vision seen in the {|###|}cold-damage disease shaoyang pattern{|###|}, and should be treated according to the shaoyang pattern.
5. Lung Yin Deficiency︰Dry throat and itching, dry cough without phlegm, or scanty sticky phlegm, hoarse voice, or dry nose with little nasal discharge. The throat mucosa is red, the tongue texture is red with thin coating, and the pulse is thin. It is mostly caused by prolonged illness and physical weakness, or pathogenic heat lingering in the lungs, excessive sweating, etc., which injure lung yin and lead to insufficient body fluids, failing to moisten the throat. Hence, symptoms such as throat itching, dry cough, and hoarseness appear. The treatment should focus on enriching and tonifying lung yin, using the formula Lily Bulb Metal-Securing Decoction.
6. Kidney Yin Deficiency︰Dryness in the oropharynx and tongue root, tinn itus deaf ness, dizziness and dizzy vision, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, seminal emission insomnia. The tongue texture is red, and the pulse is thin and rapid. Due to kidney yin fluid deficiency, yin failing to restrain yang, and deficiency fire flaming upward, symptoms such as tinn itus, deaf ness, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, and seminal emission insomnia occur. The prescription used is Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill.

There is also throat dryness due to kidney yang deficiency, which is extremely rare. Therefore, it is omitted.

The symptom of throat dryness is generally caused by insufficient body fluids, but there is a distinction between deficiency and excess, which should be carefully differentiated in clinical practice.