Evaluation criteria of TCM syndrome score
| Syndrome | Normal (0) | Mild (3) | Moderate (6) | Severe (9) |
| Cough | Not significant | In the morning only | Occasionally at any time | Frequently |
| Phlegm | Not significant | 10–50 mL in 24 hours or dilute white sputum | 50–100 mL in 24 hours or sticky yellow sputum easily expectorated | >1000 mL in 24 hours or sticky yellow sputum difficultly expectorated |
| Dyspnoea | Not significant | Occasionally but not impacting sleep or activity | Accompanying with activity but improved after rest | Too drastic to be supine position or sleep or do other activities |
| Constipation | Not significant | Dry stool once a day | Very dry and once 2 days | Very hard and once several days |
| Abdominal distension | Not significant | A little | Occasional | Continuous |
| Fever | Not significant | 37.5°C–38.0°C | 38.1°C–39.0°C | >39.0°C |
TCM, traditional Chinese medicine.