Autumn is a season when illnesses are more prevalent. Common conditions include bronchitis, asthma flare-ups, increased gastrointestinal disorders, and "heat-induced colds." As yang energy weakens and yin energy grows in autumn, the digestive system's resistance decreases, making it easier for pathogens to invade and damage the spleen and stomach, leading to gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, individuals with stomach issues should pay special attention to keeping their abdomen warm. It is crucial to focus on health preservation in autumn to prevent illnesses before they occur.Let's explore these autumn wellness tips: Autumn Wellness Tips: Beware of "Pseudo-Colds" During the White Dew season, bronchial asthma incidence peaks, necessitating proactive prevention. This crisp, clear autumn weather is ideal for travel. However, many tourists experience "cold-like" symptoms during trips—which may not be colds but rather hay fever.Two fundamental factors contribute to hay fever: an individual's allergic constitution and repeated exposure to external allergens. Key health practices during this season include strengthening physical exercise, avoiding chills in the morning and evening, and actively preventing allergic conditions.
During White Dew, guard against nasal ailments, asthma, and bronchial diseases. Individuals prone to these conditions due to allergies should exercise particular caution in dietary adjustments. Limit or avoid seafood, raw or cold foods, stir-fried or pickled dishes, and spicy, sour, salty, sweet, or greasy foods.
Autumn Wellness Tip: Guard Against Autumn Diarrhea
Autumn diarrhea, as the name suggests, occurs during the autumn and winter seasons. Following a cold, diarrhea often appears, with stools resembling water or egg drop soup, typically lacking a distinct foul odor, and occurring up to ten times daily.
Autumn-winter diarrhea is caused by viral infections, with rotavirus being the primary culprit. This virus typically has an incubation period of 1 to 3 days within the body and is unrelated to diet. Poor hygiene habits are the main cause, allowing pathogens to enter through the mouth. Exposure to cold winds that lower resistance may also lead to autumn diarrhea.
Focus on liquid and semi-liquid foods—milk, rice water, and congee. Avoid soft or hard-cooked rice and allergenic foods like seafood and eggs. Steer clear of raw, cold, hard, fried, and high-fat foods. Stewed apples are particularly effective against diarrhea due to their tannin protein content, which absorbs toxins and alleviates symptoms.
Autumn Wellness Tips: Dietary Recommendations
In early autumn, temperatures remain relatively high with drier conditions. Tonifying should focus on "light" nourishment. Suitable autumn foods include:
Lily Bulbs: Nourish and moisten the lungs, calm the mind, alleviate fatigue, and relieve dry coughs.
Chinese Yam: Known for nourishing without causing stagnation, it is neither heating nor drying. Suitable for all ages and genders, whether healthy or unwell, strong or weak.
White Broad Beans: In early autumn, boiling white broad beans into porridge or decoction helps dispel summer heat, transform dampness, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and boost appetite.
Lotus root: Raw lotus root clears heat, generates fluids, and quenches thirst; cooked lotus root fortifies the spleen, stimulates appetite, and nourishes blood. The saying goes: "Raw lotus root is best in summer heat, cooked lotus root in autumn chill; eat it fresh and tender when raw, firm and mature when cooked."
Eel: Eating eel in autumn not only provides potent nourishment but also helps regulate blood sugar levels. Recommended preparations include braised eel segments, clear-simmered eel, stir-fried eel strips, and eel congee.
Chestnuts: Strengthen the spleen, nourish the stomach, tonify the kidneys, and fortify bones.
Walnuts: Tonify the kidneys, secure essence, warm the lungs, and calm asthma. They also boost qi, nourish blood, moisten dryness, and lubricate the intestines.
Peanuts: Peanuts ripen in late autumn. Consume fresh peanut kernels ground into powder and boiled in soup, or boiled in water. Avoid stir-frying.
Red Dates: Eating red dates in autumn provides a mildly nourishing effect that moistens dryness, benefits the lungs, and boosts qi. Combining them with silver ear fungus, lily bulbs, and Chinese yam in a stew enhances their benefits.
Bitter melon: Clears heat, dispels heart fire, detoxifies, improves vision, and replenishes qi and essence.
Lotus root: Sweet and neutral in nature, it reduces inflammation, dissipates blood stasis, clears heat, relieves dryness, and alleviates coughs with phlegm.
Additionally, autumn is suitable for consuming pears,water chestnuts, jellyfish, carrots, shepherd's purse, oyster mushrooms, kelp, tomatoes, and rabbit meat. For tonic supplements, astragalus, ginseng, sand ginseng, goji berries, and he shou wu are recommended.
Autumn Wellness Tip: Ginseng is the premier choice for autumn tonics.
From the perspective of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, autumn is a season where Yang diminishes and Yin grows. Wellness practices should focus on "nourishing and gathering," preventing the dissipation of vital energy. Dryness is the predominant energy of autumn, making the most important aspects of autumn health preservation eliminating dryness, nourishing Yin, and replenishing Qi. When it comes to autumn wellness tonics, ginseng is undoubtedly the top choice.
Ginseng
Possesses nourishing and strengthening properties, profoundly replenishing vital energy. Clinically, it delivers immediate effects for many chronic conditions and critical emergencies, demonstrating broad applicability. However, as a qi-tonifying herb, robust constitutions may experience qi stagnation after consumption, manifesting as chest tightness and abdominal distension.
Red Ginseng
Red ginseng is warm in nature and sweet in taste. It is ginseng that has undergone steaming and boiling, resulting in a rich aroma and a dark red color. While it supplements qi, it possesses a robust, warming, and drying quality, excelling at invigorating yang energy. It is suitable for those with qi deficiency and yang deficiency, and is particularly effective for individuals who are cold-sensitive in winter or exhibit pronounced yang deficiency.However, red ginseng should be avoided by those without yang deficiency symptoms, or by individuals with hypertension, yin deficiency with excessive heat, or acute illnesses.
White Ginseng
Also known as sun-dried ginseng, white ginseng is processed through a simpler method than red ginseng, resulting in differing active components. For ginseng supplementation, red ginseng is generally preferred. Red ginseng tends to be warming, while white ginseng leans cooling.For yin deficiency symptoms like dry throat, white ginseng is more suitable.
Dangshen (Codonopsis)
Neutral in nature and sweet in taste, it tonifies qi, nourishes blood, harmonizes the spleen and stomach, and generates fluids. Its effects are similar to ginseng but milder. When ginseng is unavailable, dangshen can often substitute. Notably, while ginseng primarily tonifies qi without blood-nourishing effects, dangshen tonifies both qi and blood.
American Ginseng
Also known as American ginseng, Korean ginseng, or North American ginseng. Native to the United States and Canada, it has been used clinically in China for the longest period and in the largest quantities.
Its tonifying nature is mild, suitable for year-round use, and it possesses sedative effects. It demonstrates efficacy in treating pulmonary tuberculosis, coronary heart disease, and qi-yin deficiency following febrile illnesses. American ginseng exhibits potent yin-nourishing and qi-tonifying properties, alongside immune-enhancing functions.
Prince Ginseng
Neutral in nature and sweet in taste, it is a mild tonic among qi-nourishing herbs. It replenishes qi and generates fluids, commonly used for patients with prolonged illness and dual deficiency of qi and yin. However, its qi-tonifying effect is less potent than that of ginseng or codonopsis. Its fluid-generating action is similar to American ginseng, making it a suitable substitute. Since it nourishes qi without inducing dryness or heat, it is particularly suitable for children.
Saponaria root (Saponaria root)
It nourishes yin and moistens the lungs. During autumn and winter when dry weather causes symptoms like dry mouth, sore throat, and coughing, the Saponaria and Ophiopogon Decoction—primarily composed of Saponaria root—can bring swift relief. It is especially beneficial for professions involving frequent speaking and can be steeped in water for drinking.
Thus, American ginseng, which nourishes yin and reduces fire, suits a broader range of people. It tonifies without causing dryness and can be consumed by brewing in water, simmering in soups, cooking in congee, adding to dishes, or simply slicing and holding in the mouth.For those with chronic illness and physical weakness requiring ginseng supplementation, "raw sun-dried ginseng" is the first choice. If patients experience symptoms like dry mouth, thirst, or nosebleeds after taking it—a condition Traditional Chinese Medicine terms as "unable to tolerate tonics"—they may opt for the cooler-natured American ginseng. Cancer patients can choose "red ginseng," but if they exhibit "unable to tolerate tonics" symptoms, they may switch to American ginseng. Friendly reminder: Avoid drinking tea after consuming ginseng.Tea contains high levels of tannic acid, which degrades ginseng's active components. Additionally, avoid consuming ginseng with radishes. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that radishes "disperse qi and eliminate food stagnation..." Combining the two negates the tonifying effects of ginseng with the dispersing action of radishes, hence this dietary restriction.