A major effect of autumn dryness is a sore throat. Although not a serious illness, a sore throat can make you very uncomfortable. You can try eating some throat-soothing foods to relieve it. Do you know what to eat in autumn to relieve a sore throat? Here are 10 recommended foods to relieve throat swelling and pain.
1. Water Chestnut
Water chestnuts have a purplish-black skin and white, sweet, juicy, and crisp flesh, earning them the nickname "underground snow pear" and "ginseng of Jiangnan" by people in the north. They can be eaten as a fruit or as a vegetable, making them a popular seasonal favorite. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), water chestnuts are considered sweet and cool in nature, with the effects of clearing heat, promoting fluid production, soothing the throat, and resolving phlegm. They are used as an adjunctive treatment for conditions like yin deficiency with dry lungs, phlegm-heat cough, and throat swelling and pain. Recent research has also found that water chestnuts contain an antiviral substance that can inhibit meningococcal and influenza viruses, and can be used to prevent meningitis and the flu. Additionally, water chestnuts help prevent acute and chronic pharyngitis.
Moreover, the phosphorus content in water chestnuts is relatively high among root and tuber vegetables, promoting human growth and development and maintaining physiological functions, which is greatly beneficial for teeth and bone development. It also promotes the metabolism of the body's three major substances—sugar, fat, and protein—and regulates acid-base balance. Therefore, water chestnuts are suitable for children.
Pear, Lotus Root, and Water Chestnut Soup
2 Rock Sugar
TCM holds that rock sugar has the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving coughs, clearing phlegm, and reducing internal heat. It is also an auxiliary ingredient in medicinal wines and nourishing stews. Rock sugar functions to tonify the middle qi, harmonize the stomach and moisten the lungs, relieve coughs and resolve phlegm, eliminate vexation and quench thirst, clear heat and reduce turbidity, nourish yin and promote fluid production, and stop sweating and detoxify. It can be used to treat conditions such as qi deficiency in the middle jiao, lung-heat cough, coughing up blood, chronic yin-deficiency cough, dry mouth and throat, throat swelling and pain, night sweats in children, and toothache from wind-fire. Additionally, rock sugar is often added to Chinese medicine to enhance the efficacy of other herbs.
Although rock sugar is beneficial, it should not be consumed in excess by most people. Those with hypertension, arteriosclerosis, or coronary heart disease, as well as pregnant women and children, should eat it in moderation. Patients with diabetes and high blood sugar must avoid it.
Rock Sugar and Yellow Peach
3. Chicken Soup
Chicken soup, especially old hen soup, has long been famous for its deliciousness and its well-known "tonifying deficiency" effect. Chicken soup can also help alleviate cold symptoms and boost the body's immune function. Steaming hot chicken soup can be comparable to antibiotics. Research has found that chicken soup has anti-inflammatory effects and can relieve throat congestion. Nutritious ingredients like carrots, onions, celery, sweet potatoes, and garlic can be added to the chicken soup. The nutrients in these foods have therapeutic effects.
However, it should be noted that most of the nutrients in chicken are protein and fat, and eating too much can lead to obesity. Chicken lacks calcium, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and various vitamins and crude fiber, and long-term consumption can easily lead to suboptimal health.
Cordyceps Flower and Chicken Soup
4. Monk Fruit
In TCM, monk fruit is considered sweet and cool in nature, and it affects the lung and large intestine meridians. It has the effects of moistening the lungs to relieve coughs, promoting fluid production to quench thirst, and is suitable for lung-heat or lung-dryness cough, whooping cough, and summer heat damaging fluids causing thirst. Additionally, it has the effect of moistening the intestines to promote bowel movements. Modern research has found that monk fruit is rich in potassium, selenium, and zinc, and its antioxidant and immune-boosting effects are particularly prominent. In 100 grams of edible monk fruit, there are 134 mg of potassium, 2.25 micrograms of selenium, and 0.94 mg of zinc. The fruit is highly nutritious, containing rich vitamin C (400-500 mg per 100 grams of fresh fruit), as well as glycosides, fructose, glucose, protein, and lipids.
Not only that, monk fruit is rich in vitamin C, which has anti-aging, anti-cancer, and skin-beautifying effects. It also has the effect of lowering blood lipids and aiding in weight loss, can assist in the treatment of hyperlipidemia, and improve the appearance of overweight individuals, making it a must-choose fruit for beauty-conscious women.
Monk Fruit and Osmanthus Tea
5. Lemon
Lemon is one of the most medicinal fruits in the world. It is rich in vitamin C, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and is very beneficial to the human body. Moreover, it is known as the "anti-inflammatory fruit," and its effect on the body is like a natural antibiotic, with multiple functions such as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and enhancing human immunity. Lemon honey water is not only a popular weight-loss remedy for women but also has the effect of relieving symptoms of throat inflammation. In early autumn, the dampness is heavy, and many people feel tired and listless. After long hours of work or study, their appetite often poor. Drinking a glass of lemon water can be refreshing and invigorating with its fresh and sour taste, and it can also stimulate the appetite.
Lemon Mousse
A pound cake of clot nuts
Pumpkin roses
Chengdu is a hot rabbit
Homemade dry beans
Banana cheese