🌿 Folk Prescriptions

“Supplementing in autumn and winter” has deep roots. Traditional Chinese physicians believe this practice stems from the principle of “harmony between man and nature.” The concept of “harmony between man and nature” means maintaining health requires aligning with natural rhythms—seasonal changes and day-night cycles—to keep internal and external balance. Failure to do so leads to illness.
Professor Tu Yaosheng, President of Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Hospital and Director of Guangdong Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, explains that autumn and winter are seasons of storage—“harvest in autumn, store in winter.” From the perspective of “harmony between man and nature,” humans are also in a phase of storage. This is the optimal time of year to absorb nutrients and strengthen the body through diet.
Professor Tu adds that autumn and winter climates are pleasant, appetites increase, and digestive function peaks. People gain weight more easily in autumn and winter—just like our biological clocks, this reflects human alignment with natural laws. Do not disrupt this rhythm and fall into supplementation misconceptions.
Misconception 1: Over-supplementing even without illness
Old Wang is physically robust, though he recently feels slightly less vigorous compared to peers. His daughter lives in Canada and visits once a year. Perhaps due to infrequent visits, she tries to make up for her absence by bringing lavish gifts. She always buys large quantities of ginseng, deer antler, bird’s nest, and cordyceps, spending freely. Each visit feels like a grand festival. Old Wang’s wife handles the surplus, giving some away and consuming most herself. Old Wang inevitably becomes the main consumer. Whenever he says he doesn’t need supplements, his daughter and wife pretend to be angry. Reluctantly, he complies. Recently, as it grew colder, his wife started preparing a new dish every other day. They thought more supplementation would surely help—but unknowingly made a mistake: Old Wang now feels restless and agitated.
Professor Tu believes supplementation must target actual deficiency. No illness? No need to supplement. Unnecessary supplementation in non-deficient individuals may actually cause illness. Ginseng tonifies Qi; under certain circumstances, it boosts immunity. But young, strong individuals, unless recovering from serious illness, may develop boils or internal heat after taking ginseng—counterproductive.
Misconception 2: Over-supplementing when ill
Xiao Fang works as an assistant manager handling interpersonal relations. The job stress already exhausts him. His wife, Xiao Ting, seeing him work tirelessly, wants to care for him and fulfill her wifely duty. She brings high-grade deer antler and ginseng from her family, believing it’s her responsibility to supplement him. Thinking she should supplement too, she prepares red ginseng soup daily, reserving some for herself. Within days, she fell ill and had to stay in bed. The culprit? Her body couldn’t tolerate these tonics!
In autumn and winter, especially when cold sets in, those feeling weak may benefit from supplementation. But men and women usually require different approaches due to differing constitutions.
Professor Tu emphasizes that “deficiency” varies—must differentiate between Yin and Yang deficiency. Yin deficiency (tendency not to get hot, pale complexion) should be supplemented with Yin-tonifying herbs like ophiopogon, schizandra, and goji berries. Yang deficiency (prone to catching cold from wind, cold aversion, constant flushed face, tendency to get hot, even hypertension) should be treated with warming tonics—foods or herbs like deer antler, red ginseng, lamb, dog meat. If no obvious Yin or Yang bias exists, general supplementation isn’t needed. At most, consume neutral, balanced tonics like American ginseng—not excessively, just moderately.
Nowadays, many people believe eating placenta boosts Yang. Some go to great lengths to find fresh placenta. However, only dried, powdered placenta is effective. Placenta is warm in nature; overconsumption may cause boils. Only extremely weak, cold-deficient, or kidney Yang-deficient patients benefit significantly.
Misconception 3: One dose of Cordyceps equals a hundred benefits
Many buy expensive supplements either for gift-giving or to show generosity. Advertisements mislead consumers into believing the pricier the supplement, the better. Professor Tu notes many assume eating cordyceps or premium ginseng provides full-body tonification and strength—like one pill curing everything. Ms. Qian believed this. She has suffered from chronic gastritis for over 10 years. Hearing cordyceps is good for health, she assumed what’s good for the body must be good for the stomach. She joined others in buying supposedly excellent cordyceps, paying a high price. She thought, “So expensive, it must heal my stomach!”
Experts warn: higher cost doesn’t mean better supplementation. There’s no “one pill, hundred benefits” rule. Professor Tu explains each herb has specific meridian affinities. Without entering the right meridian, it won’t work. He states cordyceps enters only the Lung and Kidney meridians—effective only for kidney deficiency (chronic fatigue), low immunity (frequent colds/fevers), and lung Qi deficiency (frequent colds, coughing at cold exposure, soft voice). Thus, cordyceps worsens liver disease and has no effect on gastric issues.
Misconception 4: Medicinal supplementation anytime, regardless of meals
Some blindly supplement, consuming only hearty soups for all three meals, ignoring other dishes. They prioritize soup above all else. Professor Tu advises prioritizing food supplementation over medicinal supplementation. He stresses food has Yin-Yang attributes and must be chosen based on body condition—more important than medicine. Unless recovering from serious illness, medicinal supplementation rarely yields noticeable results.
Patients with specific conditions must pay attention to dietary details. For example, gout patients have impaired purine metabolism and high serum uric acid. Consuming hotpot for supplementation is absolutely forbidden. Soups like chicken soup, concentrated broths, seafood, dog hotpot, lamb hotpot, seafood hotpot—all contain high levels of purines dissolved in flavorful broth. While eating meat may be fine, drinking the broth triggers joint pain because purines concentrate in the broth.
Misconception 5: “Eat to resemble” — “Form follows function” — universally effective
“Eating to resemble” is a common belief: eat kidneys to strengthen kidneys, eat placenta to boost Yang. Experts say there’s some truth, but it must be applied carefully—specific preparation is key to effectiveness.
Mr. Liu sought to enhance male appeal and consulted a TCM doctor. Under guidance, he initially felt positive results from a few herbal soups containing tangible ingredients. After some time, however, the rapid improvement faded.
TCM holds that preparation method is crucial to “eating to resemble.” Poor preparation may render supplementation ineffective or severely weaken its impact. For instance, doctors recommend using herbs with pig stomach to treat gastric issues—highly effective. Similarly, placenta must be dried and ground into powder to be effective—many mistakenly believe fresh placenta is better for boosting Yang.
Cordyceps also demands careful preparation: typically combined with American ginseng and other herbs. Blindly consuming large amounts—say 10 or 20 stalks daily—without consulting a doctor is useless.
Misconception 6: Deer antler and red ginseng best in winter
As winter arrives, especially when temperatures drop, more people turn to hotpot. Imagine dining around a warm stove on a cold day—it feels cozy. Hence, lamb hotpot promising “no cold all winter” and dog meat hotpot for tonification appear on menus.
Professor Tu cautions that autumn and winter should primarily focus on nourishing Yin. Most Yang-deficient individuals shouldn’t solely supplement Yang in winter—they also need Yin tonification. Deer antler, red ginseng, lamb, and dog meat are Yang-tonifying substances. The common misconception is that these powerful tonics are meant for winter—leading people to overconsume them. Yet, Yang arises from Yin. Thus, those with Yang deficiency should combine warming herbs with Yin-tonifying ones to achieve “seeking Yang within Yin.”