Coughing is closely linked to lung health. While spring brings frequent rainfall, consistently consuming spicy or irritating foods, or regularly staying up late, can easily lead to internal heat. This internal heat can trigger lung-related issues, manifesting as dry mouth and throat, dry cough, sore throat, and other ailments. At such times, it's crucial to focus on lung health maintenance.
To alleviate dry mouth and coughing, incorporate lung-moistening foods into your diet. Generally, white-colored foods possess lung-moistening and irritation-reducing properties, such as lily bulbs, lotus seeds, snow pears, and white fungus. Additionally, loquats, apples, oranges, grapes, and bamboo shoots also offer lung-moistening benefits.
Lily bulbs, cold in nature and sweet in taste, moisturize the lungs and calm the spirit. They effectively treat insomnia with vivid dreams and dry coughs caused by yin deficiency.
Lotus seeds, sweet and astringent with a neutral nature, tonify the spleen and kidneys, calm the spirit, and moisturize the lungs. They address palpitations, insomnia, and spleen deficiency with diarrhea.
Snow pears, sweet and cold in nature, nourish yin, moisten dryness, clear heat, and relieve coughs. They effectively treat symptoms like dry, itchy throat, constipation, and coughing with phlegm.
Loquat, sweet and sour with a cool nature, moistens the lungs and quenches thirst. It treats dry coughs, wheezing, and dry mouth and throat.
Apples, mild in nature and flavor, generate fluids to moisten the lungs, strengthen the spleen, and lubricate the intestines. Regular consumption alleviates dry coughs caused by dry weather and combats fatigue.
Oranges, sour and cool in nature, promote fluid production, aid digestion, stimulate appetite, and eliminate phlegm. They also help alleviate hangovers and nausea.
Grapes, neutral in nature with a sweet and sour taste, offer multiple benefits including promoting fluid production, replenishing qi, nourishing the kidneys, relieving irritability, and suppressing coughs.Bamboo shoots, with a sweet and slightly cold nature, clear heat, transform phlegm, strengthen the spleen, stimulate appetite, boost qi, and promote bowel movements. Regular consumption also enhances immunity.
The above foods are common ingredients for moistening the lungs. Beyond these, you can also try some lung-moistening recipes.
1. Daikon Radish Soup
Ingredients: Ham, shiitake mushrooms, daikon radish, scallions, ginger, oil, salt, sesame oil.
Preparation: Wash and dice the white radish. Slice the ham. Soak and rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms. Heat oil in a wok, then stir-fry the scallions, ginger, and ham until fragrant. Add an appropriate amount of water and bring to a boil. Add the shiitake mushrooms and white radish. Simmer until tender, then season with salt and sesame oil before serving.
2. Bitter Almond and Fritillary Bulb Lean Meat Soup
Required ingredients: Bitter almonds, fritillary bulb, lean meat, ginger slices.
Preparation: Wash and cut lean meat into chunks. Wash bitter almonds, fritillary bulb, and ginger slices. Place all ingredients in a pot with sufficient water. Steam-simmer until tender. Serve hot.
3. Loquat Leaf and Honey Date Soup
Required ingredients:Loquat leaves, platycodon root, almonds, honey dates, rock sugar.
Preparation: Wash loquat leaves and wrap tightly in cloth. Place in pot with sufficient water. Wash remaining ingredients. Add all ingredients except rock sugar to pot. Simmer until liquid reduces by half, then add rock sugar to taste.
4. Platycodon and Ophiopogon Drink
Ingredients: Platycodon root, Ophiopogon tuber, licorice root.
Preparation: Wash all ingredients. Place in a pot with sufficient water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for approximately 40 minutes. Strain out solids and consume the liquid as tea.
5. Tussilago Tea
Ingredients: Tussilago flowers, rock sugar.
Preparation: Rinse the coltsfoot flowers, steep in boiling water, add rock sugar, and let steep for about ten minutes before drinking.
6. Ophiopogon and Twin Flowers Tea
Ingredients: Ophiopogon tuber, honeysuckle flowers, wild chrysanthemum flowers, goji berries.
Preparation: Rinse all ingredients, place in a pot with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20 minutes before drinking.