Introduction: The autumn breeze brings a chill, and the climate gradually becomes drier. In autumn, people are prone to "autumn dryness" symptoms due to rising internal heat. It's common to experience a dry, itchy, or sore throat. At this time, diet should be based on the principle of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, with a reduction in irritating foods. Below are the top recommended foods for moistening and clearing the lungs.
NO.1 Tremella
Tremella, also known as white fungus, is sweet and bland in taste, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It affects the lung, stomach, and kidney meridians. It has the effects of promoting fluid production to moisten the lungs, replenishing qi and activating blood, nourishing yin and strengthening the stomach, and tonifying the brain and heart. It is suitable for conditions such as lung-heat cough, dry cough due to lung dryness, stomach and intestinal dryness with heat, and constipation. Tremella is hailed as the "immortality medicine," "longevity product," and "king of fungi." It has the characteristic of being moisturizing without being greasy, making it especially suitable for those who are physically weak, recovering from a long illness, or who cannot take other tonifying herbs, as well as for those with yin deficiency and internal heat or internal heat with a tendency to bleed.
Tremella is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, making it a holy grail for moistening the lungs in autumn. It not only has the effect of strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite but also moistens yin and lungs. Tremella contains carbohydrates, crude fiber, arginine, lysine, and other components, making it highly nutritious. Additionally, tremella contains natural animal-derived gelatin, making it an excellent food for moisturizing the skin.
Tremella is also known as "the poor man's bird's nest." Although bird's nest is nourishing, it is expensive. Tremella, however, is similar in color, texture, and efficacy to bird's nest but is much cheaper. Tremella has the effects of strengthening essence, nourishing the kidneys, moistening the intestines, benefiting the stomach, replenishing qi, harmonizing blood, strengthening the heart, invigorating the body, tonifying the brain, refreshing the mind, beautifying the skin, and promoting longevity. However, the quality of tremella is particularly important, so careful selection is a must.
Tremerra and Snow Pear Soup
NO.2 Snow Pear
Pears have been revered since ancient times as the "king of all fruits" for their functions of moistening the lungs, stopping coughs, resolving phlegm, and reducing fire. In autumn, if excessive dryness leads to thirst, constipation, or a dry cough, or if internal heat causes irritability, thirst, coughing, wheezing, and yellow phlegm, eating more pears can be beneficial.
Before using pears for health benefits, consider if they are suitable for your constitution. Those with a deficient and cold constitution or a cold cough should not eat raw pears; they must be steamed, cooked into a soup, or stewed with medicinal herbs. Those with long-term diarrhea should not eat too many pears, as they are cold in nature and can worsen diarrhea. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," "Pears, which mean 'profit,' have a nature that flows downward smoothly."
Snow pear is a very common fruit, named so because its flesh is as white and tender as snow. It contains malic acid, citric acid, vitamins B1, B2, C, carotene, and other trace elements. In traditional Chinese medicine, the color white corresponds to the lungs, so white foods are generally beneficial for lung health. Snow pears have high water content, are slightly cold in nature, and sweet in taste. They contain citric acid, vitamins C, B1, B2, and malic acid, which can promote fluid production to moisten dryness, clear heat, and resolve phlegm. They have the effect of moistening the lungs and clearing dryness, stopping coughs, and resolving phlegm. Adults can eat 1-2 per day.
Healthy Recipe: Clearing the Lungs with Pear. Hollow out the snow pear, place Sichuan fritillary bulb rock sugar inside, and steam or boil it. After it cools slightly, add honey.
Red Dates, Snow Pear, and Tremella Soup
NO.3 Lily Bulb
Modern research has found that lily bulbs contain various alkaloids such as biotin and colchicine, which have a good stabilizing effect on mood and are beneficial for people with neurasthenia. Lily bulbs have antitussive and anti-asthmatic effects. For patients with chronic bronchitis or emphysema who often cough, eating lily bulbs can improve lung function and help alleviate symptoms.
Men, women, and the elderly can all eat lily bulbs, but as their nature is slightly cool, they are not suitable for those suffering from wind-cold cough or a weak spleen. Lily bulbs come in fresh and dried forms; for medicinal purposes, fresh ones are more effective than dried ones. Fresh lily bulbs with thin skin, uniform petals, thick flesh, and a yellowish-white color are of the highest quality. Dried lily bulbs are easy to store and convenient to consume. It is not advisable to eat too much lily; the daily intake should not exceed 20 grams for dried bulbs and 30 grams for fresh bulbs.
Lily bulbs are neutral in nature and sweet in taste, with effects such as moistening the lungs, nourishing the lungs, and stopping coughs. In addition to containing nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and iron, they also contain various alkaloids like colchicine. These alkaloid components have the effects of nourishing the heart to calm the mind and moistening the lungs to stop coughs, which are very beneficial to the human body.
Other effects of lily bulb: Nourishes yin to moisten the lungs; clears the heart to calm the spirit. Indicated for chronic cough due to yin deficiency; hemoptysis; late stage of febrile diseases; residual heat not cleared, or vexation, palpitations, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, and mental confusion caused by emotional upset.
Recipe: Cook 60-100 grams of lily bulbs with an appropriate amount of glutinous rice and brown sugar into a porridge. It has the effects of tonifying the middle jiao, replenishing qi, strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach, and moistening the lungs to clear them.
Honey and Lily Porridge
NO.4 White Radish
For radishes, there is a folk saying, "In October, the radish is better than ginseng." The "Compendium of Materia Medica" praises the radish highly, calling it "the most beneficial among vegetables." White radish aids digestion, strengthens the spleen, and promotes the smooth flow of qi. A stew or soup with lotus root, white radish, and bones or brisket makes for an excellent lunch dish.
Radishes contain glucose, fructose, vitamin C, mustard oil, lignin, and other components, and can be eaten raw or cooked. The mustard oil, amylase, and crude fiber in white radish promote digestion, enhance appetite, and have the effect of stopping coughs and resolving phlegm.
Recipe: There is a folk remedy for autumn dry cough: white radish can help treat heat-type asthma. In this remedy, malt sugar, which strengthens the five organs and thickens the intestines, should also be added. The specific method is to juice raw white radish and then use it. This white radish juice can moisten the lungs, clear heat, resolve phlegm, and calm wheezing, but note that this method is quite irritating to the stomach and is not suitable for those with a weak spleen and stomach.
White Radish, King Oyster Mushroom, and Pork Bone Soup
NO.5 Sugarcane
Sugarcane is sweet, neutral, and non-toxic. It primarily promotes the descent of qi, harmonizes the middle jiao, aids the spleen, benefits the large intestine, resolves phlegm, quenches thirst, and relieves vexation and heat in the chest and diaphragm. It has the effects of nourishing yin to moisten dryness, harmonizing the stomach to stop vomiting, and clearing heat and resolving toxins. For symptoms caused by insufficient yin fluid, such as dry mouth, cough with little phlegm, and constipation, eating more sugarcane can help improve these conditions.
Sugarcane has the effect of nourishing and clearing heat and is rich in nutritional components. As a cooling tonic, it has a certain therapeutic effect for conditions such as dry stools, nausea and vomiting, and deficient-heat cough.
For febrile diseases, drinking raw sugarcane juice is best, known as "nature's pulse-restoring soup." However, when sugarcane juice is boiled, its nature turns warm, giving it a warming and tonifying effect. It should be noted that because sugarcane is cold in nature, people with a weak spleen and stomach or stomach and abdominal pain should not eat it.
Sugarcane and Water Chestnut Drink