Introduction: Autumn dryness is categorized into warm dryness and cool dryness. In the Five Elements theory, autumn corresponds to "Metal," which aligns with the pathogenic factor of "dryness." In the Five Zang-Organ theory, it corresponds to the "Lung." Autumn dryness refers to a disease primarily affecting the lung system (respiratory system) caused by the body's exposure to the pathogenic dryness during autumn, which is equivalent to diseases in Western medicine such as influenza and acute bronchitis.
Distinguishing between Warm and Cool Dryness
The characteristic of "dryness" can be summarized as "dryness leads to dryness," meaning it consumes the body's fluids, leading to symptoms like dry skin and fluid loss. Clinically, based on its thermal nature, it is divided into "warm dryness" and "cool dryness." The former often occurs in early autumn when the weather is still hot or during prolonged sunny periods. Besides the aforementioned dry symptoms, it may also be accompanied by symptoms similar to wind-heat cold, such as headache, fever, vexation, thirst, sore throat, yellow phlegm, a red tongue with a dry coating, and a rapid pulse. Cool dryness begins in late autumn when the weather turns cool. In addition to dry symptoms, it is accompanied by symptoms similar to wind-cold cold, such as headache, fever, aversion to cold with no sweating, nasal congestion, clear and thin phlegm, a white tongue coating, and a wiry pulse.
The Lungs are most susceptible to damage from autumn dryness. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views the Lung as a "delicate organ," meaning it is more easily affected by external climatic factors than other organs. The main characteristic of autumn weather is dryness, with a lack of moisture in the air. The respiratory tract, in turn, loses moisture, which impairs the ciliary movement on the surface of the respiratory mucosa and reduces its ability to clear foreign particles like dust. This can lead to further mucosal damage. With the respiratory tract's defensive function compromised, external bacteria and viruses can take advantage, leading to the respiratory symptoms of "autumn dryness." Individuals with pre-existing lung conditions, the elderly, young children, the weak, the sick, and those with irregular lifestyles are more vulnerable to autumn dryness.
What to Eat for Autumn Dryness: Prevent It Early with Moisturizing
Following the principle of "dryness requires moistening," dietary adjustments in autumn should focus on being light, refreshing, moisturizing, and promoting fluid production to quench thirst. The diet should be light, with less greasy and spicy food, and more coarse grains and foods rich in vitamins and minerals. At the same time, to prevent autumn dryness, it's important to maintain appropriate indoor humidity and reduce outdoor activities when the air quality is poor.
What to Eat for Autumn Dryness? Morning Salt Water, Evening Honey Water
There are life hacks for preventing dryness in autumn. The human body loses over 600ml of water through the skin daily, and at least 300ml is exhaled through the nose. To replenish this loss, one should drink at least 500ml more water daily in autumn than in other seasons to maintain the normal moisture of the lungs and respiratory tract. It's best to drink water "frequently but in small amounts." Elderly individuals should drink 200ml each in the early morning and before bedtime. If you are very active and sweat a lot, you should increase your water intake. A common folk remedy is "morning salt water, evening honey water," meaning drinking light salt water in the morning and a moderate amount of honey water in the evening can indeed help alleviate autumn dryness.
For warm dryness, eat more tremella, lily, grapes, pears, water chestnuts, and radishes. For cool dryness, eat more black fungus, kumquats, carrots, apples, lotus root, pomegranates, and red dates. In addition, soups and congee are common methods for moistening dryness in autumn. Of course, not all fruits are suitable for autumn consumption. For instance, plums and durian may generate heat and phlegm, having a negative effect on preventing autumn dryness, and should be avoided.
Autumn Dryness Recipes:
1. Chuanbei and Snow Pig Lung Soup: Take one pig lung, four snow pears, and 12 Chuanbei mother (bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae). Slice the pig lung thickly, soak it in water, squeeze and wash it clean by hand. Place it in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then remove, rinse with cold water, and drain for later use. Wash the snow pears and remove the cores. Wash the Chuanbei mother. Put all ingredients into a pot of boiling water. Once it boils, simmer on low heat for over 2 hours. Suitable for those with warm dryness.
2. Chuanbei Stewed Autumn Pear: Take one autumn pear, hollow out the core, and fill it with 5g of Chuanbei mother powder. Add 10g of rock sugar and an appropriate amount of water. Stew over low heat until cooked. Eat the pear and drink the soup. Suitable for those with warm dryness.
3. Tremella and Chrysanthemum Soup: Soak the tremella until soft. Boil it with dried Hangzhou white chrysanthemums until it comes to a boil. Then, add rock sugar to taste and simmer on low heat for over 2 hours. Suitable for those with warm dryness.
4. Lily, Lotus Seed, and Red Date Congee: Take 25g of lily, 25g of lotus seeds, 150g of rice, and 15 red dates. Add water to a pot, first add rice and dried lilies and bring to a boil. Then, add lotus seeds and red dates, switch to medium heat, and continue to cook until done. Finally, add rock sugar. Suitable for those with cool dryness.
5. Black Fungus and Chinese Yam Congee: 10g of black fungus, 10g of Chinese yam, 100g of japonica rice, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Wash and cut the Chinese yam into small pieces. Soak the black fungus until soft. Cook the black fungus until tender, then add Chinese yam and rice to make congee. Season with rock sugar and serve. Suitable for those with cool dryness.
6. Lotus Root and Goji Berry Congee: 20g of goji berries, 50g of fresh lotus root, and 100g of rice. Wash and rinse the rice and soak for half an hour. Wash the fresh lotus root, peel it, and cut it into small pieces. Add the lotus root, rinsed goji berries, and soaked rice to boiling water and cook for about 40-50 minutes until the congee is thick. Suitable for those with cool dryness.