Foods for a Cold: What the Donguibogam Records and What Modern Health Sources Say
Food during a cold is more about comfort than cure. Here is what the Donguibogam records about eating, set beside what modern health sources advise.
Quick answer
A cold is a viral infection, so no particular food can be said to treat it. The UK's NHS advises resting, drinking plenty of fluids and eating healthy food. Warm foods and drinks may make you more comfortable, but that is not the same as changing the course of the illness.
The Donguibogam records a formula for "wind damage" (傷風) — which cannot be equated with the modern common cold — that includes ginger and jujube and tells the patient to take a cup of thin porridge afterwards. This article presents that record as traditional dietary context.
Traditional context in the Donguibogam
A wind-damage formula and thin porridge
治太陽傷風, 自汗, 惡風寒
It treats wind damage of the Taiyang channel, with spontaneous sweating and aversion to wind and cold.
Source: Japbyeong-pyeon · quoting the Ipmun
入生薑 三片, 大棗 二枚, 水煎溫服. 須臾啜稀粥一盞, 以助藥力
Add three slices of ginger and two jujubes, decoct and take warm. After a short while sip a cup of thin porridge to help the strength of the medicine.
Source: Japbyeong-pyeon · quoting the Ipmun
This is a record of a formula that includes ginger, jujube and porridge; it does not mean these foods cure a cold. Other herbs such as cinnamon twig were the core of the formula, and its manner of use is not modern guidance.
Fresh Ginger (生薑)
性微溫, 味辛, 無毒. 歸五藏, 去痰下氣, 止嘔吐, 除風寒濕氣.
Its nature is slightly warm, its taste pungent, and it is non-toxic. It enters the five viscera, dispels phlegm and directs qi downward, stops vomiting, and expels wind, cold, and damp.
Source: Tangaek-pyeon (herb entry)
Jujube (大棗)
性平, 味甘, 無毒. 安中養脾, 補五藏, 助十二經脉, 補津液.
Its nature is neutral, its taste sweet, and it is non-toxic. It calms the center and nourishes the spleen, supplements the five viscera, assists the twelve channels, and replenishes fluids.
Source: Tangaek-pyeon (herb entry)
What modern health sources say
- The NHS advises drinking "lots of fluid, such as water", resting, and eating healthy food during a cold.
- The NHS does not recommend antibiotics for colds: colds are caused by viruses, so antibiotics neither relieve symptoms nor speed recovery.
- The NHS suggests a hot lemon and honey drink to soothe a sore throat, but says honey must not be given to babies under 12 months and hot drinks should not be given to small children.
- Symptoms usually build up over 2 to 3 days and improve within about 1 to 2 weeks.
Safety and limits
- See a doctor if a high temperature lasts more than 3 days, symptoms get worse, or you are no better after 10 days. The same applies to shortness of breath, chest pain, or a cough lasting more than 3 weeks.
- Children, pregnant people, people with long-term conditions and people with weakened immunity should talk to a clinician rather than rely on foods or herbs.
- Ginger is warming and calls for care with heat patterns or anticoagulant use; jujube is high in sugar and needs consideration where blood sugar is managed (see each herb page).
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Does ginger tea cure a cold?
This article offers no evidence that ginger tea cures a cold. The Donguibogam records ginger as stopping vomiting and dispelling wind, cold and dampness, but that is a traditional description. Warm drinks can help with fluid intake and comfort.
What does the record about thin porridge mean?
The formula description the Donguibogam quotes says to sip thin porridge after the medicine to help its strength. It shows how the formula was taken at the time; it is not a medical recommendation to eat porridge for a cold.
When should I see a doctor?
By NHS criteria: a high temperature beyond 3 days, no improvement after 10 days, shortness of breath or chest pain, or a cough beyond 3 weeks. Seek advice earlier for children or long-term conditions.
References and verification
- NHS — Common cold — Source page last reviewed: 2024-03-22, accessed: 2026-10-09
The classical quotations above were checked against the original text by script. Modern statements are paraphrases of the sources listed here, checked on the access date shown. Editorial review date: 2026-10-09.
Educational information only; it does not replace diagnosis or treatment.