Objective     To explore the effect of Wenyang Kanghan Decoction in treating patients with post-infection cough (PCI) differentiated as type of wind and cold invading the lung.

  Methods     Totally 110 patients with PIC differentiated as type of wind and cold invading the lung were randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 55 cases in each group. Patients in the control group received routine treatment, while patients in the observation group were treated with Wenyang Kanghan Decoction on the basis of the control group. The score of cough, degree of cough, total syndrome score, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), C reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.

  Results     The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the cough score, cough degree, total syndrome score, TNF, CRP, IL-6 and IL-8 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The cases of cough, expectoration, chills and fatigue disappearance in the observation group were more than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions was 10.91% in the observation group and 12.73% in the control group, and there was no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05).

  Conclusion     Wenyang Kanghan Decoction can effectively alleviate the cough symptoms of patients with PIC differentiated as type of wind and cold invading the lung, lessen the severity of cough, reduce the level of airway inflammatory response and regulate the immune level of the body.