The key to keeping healthy in autumn is to prevent dryness and protect yin

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the key to protecting yin essence is to "prevent dryness and protect yin." The climate in autumn is dry, windy and dusty, which can easily lead to lung yin deficiency, dry stomach and intestines, and dry skin. From the perspective of the five flavors, the lungs are responsible for pungent taste, the liver is responsible for sour taste, and pungent taste can overcome sour taste. Therefore, in autumn, we should reduce pungent taste to calm the liver qi, and increase sour taste to help the liver qi, to prevent the lung qi from damaging the liver too much, which will cause liver qi stagnation.

Autumn refers to the period from the Beginning of Autumn to the Beginning of Winter. "Guan Zi" points out: "In autumn, the yin energy begins to descend, so all things harvest." That is to say, in autumn, as the sunlight gradually recedes, the yin energy gradually grows; all things mature, and it is time to harvest. During the three months of autumn, the human body's lung qi is in season. The sun is warm, the fruits are abundant, the temperature gradually drops, the climate becomes dry, and it turns from hot to cold, which is the transition stage of "yin disappearance and yin growth". "Nourishing Yin in autumn and winter" is the principle of health preservation in autumn. It means that one should nourish the internal Qi in autumn and winter and should not consume essence and damage Yin Qi, so as to adapt to the law of the gradual growth and prosperity of Yin Qi in nature and lay the foundation for the growth of Yang Qi in the coming year.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the key to protecting yin essence is to "prevent dryness and protect yin." "Dryness" is the main air in autumn, so it is called "autumn dryness". Dry air harms people by consuming body fluids. Once the body fluids are consumed, "dryness symptoms" will appear, and people are often prone to the trouble of dryness evil. The corresponding organ for this season is the lung. The lung can breathe, is connected to the skin and fur, and is the exterior of the large intestine. When the humidity in the air decreases, pathological phenomena characterized by "dryness" will appear in the lungs, skin, large intestine and other parts of the body.

From the perspective of health preservation, mental care in autumn is about maintaining mental peace. To achieve this, we must first cultivate an optimistic mood, contemplate the joy of harvest, keep our mind stable, and calm our spirit. You should bask in the sun often to let the sun give you warmth. When you are in a bad mood, pay attention to ways to relieve it, such as taking a walk, practicing Tai Chi, etc.

What to eat in autumn?

In autumn, you should eat less spicy foods such as onions, ginger, garlic, and leeks, and eat more sour fruits and vegetables, such as hawthorn, lemon, grapefruit, star fruit, mango, grapes, apples, etc. There are also honey, sesame, almonds, white fungus, spinach, soy milk, etc., which have the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, nourishing the lungs and preventing dryness, and moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements. In short, autumn is windy and dry, so nourishing the lungs and moistening dryness is the key. The principle is to eat more sour and less spicy food. Only in this way can you spend a peaceful autumn.

Chinese Yam and Lily Porridge

Ingredients: 100 grams of yam, 50 grams of lily, and 100 grams of japonica rice.

Preparation method: Wash and peel the yam and cut into pieces. Wash and separate the lily. Wash the glutinous rice and put the yam and lily into the rice and cook until soft. It is ready to eat.

Efficacy: This diet therapy is suitable for people with spleen deficiency and weak body, such as those with frequent diarrhea, abdominal distension, fear of cold abdomen, dry throat, cough, phlegm, etc. Use yam to strengthen the spleen and stomach to cut off the source of phlegm, and use lily to moisten the lungs, relieve cough and asthma. Together they can strengthen the spleen and moisten the lungs, relieve cough and resolve phlegm. It can aid digestion and replenish lung qi for healthy people.

Stewed Tremella with Lotus Seeds and Rock Sugar

Ingredients: 200 grams of soaked lotus seeds, rock sugar water, 50 grams of white fungus, 30 grams of wolfberry, and 1 fresh lemon.

Preparation method: Add appropriate amount of water to rock sugar water, soaked lotus seeds, white fungus and wolfberries, and steam them together for about 40 minutes. To make the taste better and have a fresh fragrance, you can add an appropriate amount of fresh lemon. Generally, for a small bowl of lotus seeds and rock sugar stewed with white fungus, you only need to add a fingernail-sized amount of lemon. If you put too much, it will affect the taste.

Efficacy: It has the effects of clearing the lungs and moistening the throat. There is also an improved way to eat this dish, which is to put the vegetable into a pear with the core removed, and add a little Sichuan Fritillaria, then steam it together and eat it.

Celery and Lily (The efficacy and function of Lily)

Ingredients: 250 grams of celery, 1 fresh lily, some mushrooms, some essence and salt, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of sesame oil.

Preparation method: Remove the leaves of the celery, blanch it in water, shred it, cut it into sections, peel the lily petals, and remove the old skin of the lily. Heat olive oil in a frying pan until 70% hot, add the blanched celery, stir briefly, and add the lily. When the edges of the lily become transparent, add salt and mushroom essence, stir-fry quickly until evenly cooked, drizzle with a little sesame oil, and it is ready to be served.

Efficacy: Celery is sweet and cool in nature, has the effects of clearing the stomach, clearing heat and dispelling wind, and contains more dietary fiber. Lily tastes sweet and slightly bitter, and is neutral in nature. It has the functions of moistening the lungs, relieving coughs, clearing the heart and calming the mind. This dish has crispy celery and crispy lilies, which are green and white, delicious, cool and refreshing.