The autumn climate is relatively dry, and "autumn dryness" can easily damage lung yin, leading to a deficiency of fluids and qi. This can impair the functions of organs such as the lungs, stomach, and kidneys, inducing or exacerbating conditions like emphysema, chronic pharyngitis, dry eye syndrome, and constipation. To help nourish yin and moisten dryness, this issue introduces several dietary therapy recipes suitable for autumn.
Oat and Reed Rhizom Herbal Tea for Generating Fluids and Clearing Heat
Recipe: 30 grams of fresh reed rhizome (or 15 grams of the dried product), 15 grams of Ophiopogon japonicus. Chop the ingredients, add water, and decoct for drinking, three times a day. Alternatively, you can steep them directly in boiling water, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes before drinking as a tea. A small amount of mint and sugar can also be added to this recipe to make a cold beverage. It is suitable for patients with pharyngitis, stomatitis, periodontitis, diabetes, and insomnia.
Commentary: In this formula, reed rhizome clears heat and nourishes yin, generating fluids to quench thirst. It is particularly skilled in treating various conditions of heat damaging yin, with dry, sore throat, and is effective for stomatitis and periodontitis. Ophiopogon japonicus nourishes yin, moistens the lungs, transforms phlegm, and stops coughing. It primarily treats dry coughs with little sputum and throat discomfort due to yin deficiency and lung dryness, and also protects stomach yin, generating fluids to moisten the intestines. The combination of these two herbs can prevent and treat autumn symptoms such as dry mouth and tongue, vexation and insomnia, constipation, stomach heat and vomiting, dry throat pain, and bleeding gums and teeth. Furthermore, for diabetic patients with dry throat and vexation, or for those with chronic bronchitis experiencing a dry cough with no sputum, this formula is also effective.
Sugarcane Juice and Rice Congee to Nourish Yin and Benefit the Stomach
Recipe: About 150 ml of fresh sugarcane juice, 100-150 grams of japonica rice. Cook the rice until it is almost done, then add the fresh sugarcane juice and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes. The congee is ready to eat. Take one dose daily, divided into two servings. It can be taken continuously for 5-7 days. This congee is suitable for people with chronic gastritis, gastric neurosis, regurgitation, and constipation. It can also be consumed by patients with epigastric dull or burning pain, loss of appetite despite hunger, vexation and thirst, or dry vomiting after a high fever or during chemotherapy for stomach cancer.
Commentary: Sugarcane juice is sweet and neutral in nature, capable of generating fluids, relieving heat, moistening dryness, and nourishing yin, earning it the reputation of a "natural pulse-restoring soup." Japonica rice has the effect of benefiting the stomach and generating fluids, and can regulate symptoms such as poor appetite, regurgitation, and vomiting caused by chronic stomach diseases. This congee focuses on nourishing stomach yin and is especially suitable for symptoms caused by insufficient stomach yin, such as hunger without desire to eat, dry vomiting and belching, stomach pain, dry mouth and lips, and dry stools. It should be noted that diabetic patients should not consume this.
Ginkgo and Water Chestnut Soup for Relieving Cough and Transforming Phlegm
Recipe: 8 grams of ginkgo, 15 grams of tremella, 8 water chestnuts, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Shell the ginkgo, soak and wash the tremella. Place them in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat. When the tremella and ginkgo are well-cooked, add the water chestnuts and rock sugar, and cook for another 3 minutes before serving. Take it twice a day, one dose daily, for 5-7 consecutive days. It is suitable for patients with chronic bronchitis, cough and asthma, pulmonary heart disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, and cancer patients in the recovery period.
Commentary: Ginkgo is neutral in nature with a sweet and bitter taste, having the effects of warming the lungs, replenishing qi, and stopping cough and asthma, suitable for both cold and heat-type coughs. Tremella is neutral and sweet, capable of nourishing yin to moisten the lungs, replenishing qi, and clearing the intestines. Water chestnut is sweet and cold in nature, and can clear heat, transform phlegm, generate fluids to moisten dryness, and promote urination. In autumn, dryness can induce chronic respiratory diseases. Patients with symptoms such as yin-deficiency and dryness of the lungs, vexation and thirst, constipation, and dark yellow urine can choose to eat this. Additionally, it is also effective for those with yin-deficiency fever, yin-deficiency fire flourishing, and a dry cough with little sputum.
Crown Prince Ginseng and Lily Bulb Soup to Moisten the Lungs and Nourish the Heart
Recipe: 60 grams of Prince Ginseng, 30 grams of lily bulb, half a luohan fruit, and 500 grams of lean pork. Wash the medicinal herbs and lean pork, place them in a pot, add an appropriate amount of clear water. First, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about 2 hours. When the meat is tender, add salt to taste, and the soup and meat are ready to be consumed. This formula is suitable for people with chronic bronchitis, pulmonary heart disease, acute and chronic pharyngitis, anemia, insomnia, dry eye syndrome, and constipation.
Commentary: Prince Ginseng is neutral and sweet in nature, with the effects of tonifying the lungs and spleen, replenishing qi, and generating fluids. Lily bulb is sweet and slightly cold, capable of moistening the lungs to stop coughing and clearing the heart to calm the spirit. Luohan fruit is sweet, sour, and cool, and can clear heat and cool the blood, generate fluids to stop coughing, and moisten the lungs to transform phlegm. Pork, in turn, tonifies the spleen qi, benefits the stomach and intestines, and moistens the skin. The combination of these ingredients works together to moisten the lungs and replenish qi, nourish the heart and eliminate vexation, and clear heat to stop coughing.