🌿 Folk Prescriptions

After Start of Autumn, rainfall decreases and the climate becomes dry, yet the weather remains hot. Many people experience "autumn dryness" symptoms. Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that "dryness" is the dominant element of autumn and one of the six external pathogenic factors. Dryness is autumn's evil, easily injuring body fluids and harming the lungs, depleting lung yin. Thus, autumn requires dietary therapy to moisten and protect the lungs.
Experts recommend: For autumn dryness and lung protection, fruits and vegetables come first!
1. Pear: Rich in water and nutrients, it clears phlegm and stops coughing, clears the heart and moistens the lungs, detoxifies, promotes urination, removes wind-heat, quenches thirst, and clears heat and fire. It is the best fruit for preventing autumn dryness and a top remedy for coughing, asthma, sore throat, heat-induced cough with yin deficiency, and hemoptysis. Take two pears, wash and cut with skin, add 150g rice, cook into porridge, then add rock sugar. This treats lung heat, dry mouth, dry cough, sore throat, and nasal dryness—widely used in folk practice.
2. Garlic and Onion: Possess strong antibacterial and sterilizing abilities and inhibit cancer cell growth. Known in China as "Chinese antibiotic," they effectively prevent respiratory and digestive system diseases, especially tonsillitis, upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and asthma.
3. Carrot Porridge: Carrots contain carotene, convertible to vitamin A—ideal for dry skin, chapped lips, and autumn dryness sufferers. Carrots are sweet and neutral in nature, entering the Lung, Spleen, and Stomach meridians. They moisten the lungs, remove dryness, tonify the middle energizer, and stabilize the lungs—used for dry lips, dry mouth, constipation, gastrointestinal discomfort, and bloating. Particularly suitable for frail elderly.
4. Radish: Prevents upper respiratory infections, sore throat, and bronchitis. It also clears the lungs and transforms phlegm, treating upper respiratory infections, coughing, and excessive phlegm.
5. Silver Ear (Tremella): Contains eight essential amino acids, acidic heteropolysaccharides, tremella polysaccharides, organic phosphorus, iron, and other compounds. It is an excellent tonic for the weak and for autumn dryness lung protection, enhancing immunity and exhibiting anticancer properties. It shows significant efficacy for bronchitis, lung infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
6. Lotus Seed and Lily Porridge: Nourishes yin, moistens the lungs, quenches thirst, generates fluids, and benefits the eyes. Treats dry cough due to lung dryness, low-grade fever, restlessness, and insomnia. Cook lotus seeds, lilies, and glutinous rice until soft, add honey, and consume three times daily. Fresh lily has moisturizing, cough-relieving, and sedative effects—suitable for bronchitis, emphysema, and hemoptysis in tuberculosis patients.
7. Water Chestnut Honey Porridge: Clears heat, quenches thirst, detoxifies, and moistens dryness. Treats yellow phlegm, sore throat, and constipation. Safe for long-term use.
8. Chrysanthemum Porridge: Moistens lung dryness, clears liver fire, brightens eyes, and lowers blood pressure—especially suitable for elderly with hypertension and coronary heart disease. Use 50g chrysanthemum and 150g rice. First, boil chrysanthemum into tea, then use the tea to cook rice into porridge.
Additionally, mountain yam, lotus seeds, sesame, honey, red dates, lotus seeds, fish bladder, and bird’s nest have nourishing yin and moistening lung effects. Cold sugar silver ear soup, Huangjing autumn pear soup, snow pear paste, lily and lotus seed rice soup, mountain yam and lotus seed rice soup, lotus seed and mountain yam porridge—all have nourishing yin and moistening lung effects—worth incorporating regularly.