Pears are regarded the "golden fruit" for a beautiful voice as it not only helps nourish the lungs and promote fluids, but can also help relieve coughing, dissolve phlegm and dispel pathogenic heat.

Ligaotang (herbal pear syrup), a specialty in Shanghai, is well-known for relieving coughs and sore throats. It also tastes great.

Another effective remedy is chewing American ginseng slices. It can relieve an itchy throat and nourish the yin at the same time.

"I advise my patients to chew real ginseng slices instead of taking a ginseng tablet," says Zheng. "There are some additives in the pills that may not help relieve your problem."

Dry lips

Dry lips that hurt or crack are annoying in the winter. Some people tend to lick their lips when they feel dry, which only makes it worse as the saliva take more water from the lips when it evaporates.

Lip gloss only relieves the symptom temporarily. Restoring the balance inside your body is advised by both Western medicine and TCM.

Western medicine suggests eating more fresh vegetables to provide more vitamins while TCM suggests eating foods that benefit the spleen.

TCM theory states that the spleen rules the muscles and flesh. It opens into the mouth and its brilliance is manifested in the lips. Therefore, foods that benefit the spleen such as sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, soybean sprouts, turnips, jujubes and pearl barley are all recommended.

White fungus, jujube and rock sugar

Ingredients: white fungus (50g), 10 jujubes and rock sugar

Method: 1. Cook the ingredients together until jujube and white fungus are soft and rock sugar melted

2. Divide it into three portions and eat that day.

Herbal tea to help protect your throat

Recipe: Maidong (ophiopogon root, 3g), xuanshen (figwort, 3g) and two pangdahai (boat-fruited sterculia seed)

Relieve a chronic sore throat and dry bowels

Recipe: xuanshen (figwort, 3g), shashen (Glehnia root, 3g) and honey suckle (3g)

Relieve chronic sore throat and coughing

Recipe: Gancao (liquorice, 2g), jiegeng (root of balloon flower, 3g) and honey suckle (5g)

(Shanghai Daily December 23, 2008)