In autumn, when "dry qi prevails," it is very appropriate to eat some fruits and vegetables that have the effect of nourishing and moistening. The five fruits we introduce to you have a mild and gentle nourishing effect that is neither harsh nor greasy.
1. Sweet Citrus
Citrus is warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of stimulating appetite, regulating qi, quenching thirst, and moistening the lungs. However, individuals with a "yin deficiency and excess fire" constitution may experience "heatiness" symptoms such as canker sores, a dry mouth, and a sore throat from eating too much.
Food Therapy and Health Preservation: The entire citrus plant is a treasure and can be used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. For treating colds and coughs: 9 grams each of dried orange peel, ginger, and perilla leaf, decocted in water with brown sugar. For treating stomach cold and vomiting: 6 grams each of dried orange peel, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorn, decocted in water for drinking.
2. Fragrant Pear Orchards
The pear, hailed as the "king of all fruits," is cool in nature and sweet in taste. It aids digestion and increases appetite. It also has effects such as moistening the lungs, clearing the mind, resolving phlegm, and stopping coughs.
Food Therapy and Health Preservation: Take one fresh pear, wash it, chop it with the skin on, add rock sugar, and decoct it in water to drink. This can help with acute bronchitis caused by colds and coughs.
3. Apples Are Ripe
The apple is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, making it an excellent food for strengthening the spleen and stimulating the appetite. High in crude fiber, apples also contain malic acid, tannic acid, and citric acid, giving them an astringent effect that stops diarrhea.
Food Therapy and Health Preservation: 15 grams of apple powder, mixed with warm water on an empty stomach, 2-3 times a day, can help treat chronic diarrhea, neurogenic colitis, etc.
4. Radish Before Bed
Radish is cool in nature, and pungent and sweet in taste. It has effects such as strengthening the stomach and aiding digestion, stopping cough and resolving phlegm, promoting qi flow and urination, and clearing heat and detoxifying. Eating a fresh radish before bed can enhance heart function. The folk saying "Radish at bedtime, ginger in the morning" is not without reason for health preservation.
Food Therapy and Health Preservation: Wash a radish (a red, spicy radish is better) without peeling it, chop it, and add 2-3 spoonfuls of maltose. Let it sit overnight to dissolve into a radish sugar water. Sip it frequently to treat acute and chronic bronchial coughs.
5. A Word on Persimmons
Persimmons are cool in nature, and sweet and astringent in taste. Fresh persimmons contain a relatively high amount of vitamins and minerals, second only to citrus but higher than pears and apples.
Food Therapy and Health Preservation: The calyx of the persimmon can be used to treat hiccups and belching. Charred dried persimmon can treat bloody stools. Persimmon frost can treat sore throat, cough, and mouth sores.