🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Autumn begins with Start of Autumn and spans six solar terms: Limit of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, and Frost Descent. The Autumn Equinox marks a pivotal shift in climate. The *Huangdi Neijing Suwen* states: “In the three months of autumn, the world is tranquil and balanced; the sky grows sharp, and the earth becomes clear.”
With autumn arriving, skies are clear and pure, the earth is serene, cool breezes bring comfort, and all things mature—this is the season of harvest. Autumn is a transitional phase marked by declining yang and increasing yin. From Start of Autumn to Limit of Heat, strong summer heat persists, temperatures remain high, and occasional drizzly rains bring heavy dampness, creating a climate of combined heat and humidity—hence the term “Autumn Tiger.”
After White Dew, rainfall decreases, the air becomes dry, days are hot while nights grow cold, and weather fluctuates rapidly. One misstep can easily lead to catching a cold, and many old illnesses tend to recur—thus earning the name “Busy Autumn.”
Since the body’s physiological activities adapt to natural changes, internal yin and yang also shift accordingly. Therefore, autumn health preservation in mental state, diet, daily routines, and physical practices should emphasize harmony.
Harmonizing Emotions to Avoid “Sadness in Autumn”
Upon entering autumn, according to the principle of “harmony between man and nature,” the lung belongs to metal, corresponding to autumn. The lung governs qi and respiration, and in emotion, it relates to sorrow. Those with weak lung qi are highly sensitive to autumn’s climatic changes. Especially older adults, witnessing autumn storms and cold rains, seeing flowers wilt and trees shed, often feel melancholy, desolation, and a sense of aging—prone to depression.
Song Dynasty health expert Chen Zhi said: “During autumn’s bleak winds and rains, elders often feel sad. If their mood appears gloomy, we must divert their attention through conversation, distracting their minds so they forget autumn’s sadness.” Clearly, regulating mental state is crucial in autumn health preservation. As the *Suwen* advises: “Let the will be calm and peaceful to soften autumn’s severity. Gather and conserve your spirit to match autumn’s tranquility. Do not let your mind wander externally, so the lung qi remains clear. This is the proper response to autumn and the essence of nourishing and gathering.”
Thus, for middle-aged and elderly people, embracing the philosophy of “no attachment in the heart, no illness arises” is vital. Cultivating a mindset of not being elated by external gains nor distressed by personal losses, remaining optimistic, open-minded, and tranquil, helps gather spirit and conserve energy. This reduces the impact of autumn’s harshness, enabling adaptation to autumn’s balanced nature. Hence, seniors should travel with companions to mountain villages, climb high places, and enjoy the vibrant autumn scenery—flowers blooming, red leaves blazing—instantly dispelling sadness and rekindling youthful vitality.
“Autumn Cold” with Moderation for Strength
The age-old saying “warm in spring, endure cold in autumn—no illness will arise” aligns with the principle of “light clothing to withstand cold” in autumn. But “autumn cold” must be understood correctly and practiced wisely.
After Start of Autumn, temperatures steadily decline, and the daily temperature difference increases. After Cold Dew, northern cold fronts continuously invade, bringing “one autumn rain, one chill.”
From a preventive health perspective, gradually practicing “autumn cold” strengthens cold resistance, enhances heart and lung function, improves the body’s ability to adapt to climate changes, and helps prevent respiratory infections.
However, in late autumn, sudden cold snaps and significant temperature drops mean wearing thin clothes and shorts can easily expose the body to cold, weakening immunity and triggering colds—especially dangerous for middle-aged and elderly people with chronic bronchitis, asthma, COPD, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes. Neglecting weather changes and failing to keep warm can easily lead to recurrence of old illnesses.
Cold stimulation reduces vascular elasticity, increases peripheral resistance, excites the sympathetic nervous system, raises adrenal cortex hormone secretion, causing small arteries to constrict and blood pressure to rise—increasing risk of cerebral hemorrhage. Cold also elevates blood fibrinogen levels and viscosity, increasing the risk of thrombosis, endangering life and health.
Therefore, one must adapt to autumn’s climate changes, appropriately add or remove clothing, practicing “autumn cold” with moderation—aligning with nature’s rhythm—for true wisdom.
Dietary Harmony to Moisturize Lungs and Prevent Dryness
After the Autumn Equinox, rainfall diminishes, humidity drops, and autumn dryness dominates from mid-autumn to late autumn. Autumn is the season of the lung (metal element). Carelessness in health care can easily deplete body fluids due to dryness, causing dry mouth, sore throat, coughing, and lung heat.
Thus, autumn calls for foods that clear heat, generate fluids, nourish yin, and moisten the lungs.
Examples include eel, shad, white duck meat, sesame, walnuts, lilies, glutinous rice, honey, milk, peanuts, fresh yam, white fungus, tangerines, ginkgo nuts, pears, red dates, lotus seeds, sugarcane—gentle, nourishing, and moistening foods that nourish yin, moisten lungs, and enrich blood.
For middle-aged and elderly people with weak stomachs, breakfast should consist of porridge, which aids digestion, warms the stomach, and generates fluids. As stated in *Medical Introduction*: “Morning porridge clears out old waste, benefits the esophagus and stomach, generates fluids, and makes one feel refreshed all day—providing substantial nourishment.” Examples include: Lily-red date-glutinous rice porridge for nourishing yin and strengthening the stomach; lily-lotus seed porridge for moistening lungs and benefiting kidneys; three-color porridge for clearing heat and nourishing lungs; lily-almond porridge for relieving phlegm and stopping cough; fresh rehmannia juice porridge for cooling blood and moisturizing dryness; hyacinth bean porridge for strengthening spleen and harmonizing the middle; ginger porridge for warming and relieving nausea; walnut porridge for moisturizing skin and preventing dryness; pine nut porridge for moistening lungs and intestines; chrysanthemum porridge for brightening eyes and calming the spirit; tea porridge for dissolving phlegm and aiding digestion; bird’s nest porridge for nourishing lungs and stopping cough; yam porridge for strengthening spleen and consolidating the intestines; chrysanthemum-jujube porridge for nourishing liver and kidneys.
Each person should select porridges based on their own condition to achieve balance among zang-fu organs, yin-yang, and qi-blood—ultimately achieving overall tonification.
Exercise: Balance Between Movement and Stillness
Autumn offers clear, crisp skies—ideal for various fitness activities. Choose exercises suited to individual needs: seniors may walk, jog, practice Wuqinxi (Five Animal Frolics), tai chi, fitness exercises, Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), or self-massage;
middle-aged and young adults may run, play ball games, hike, take cold showers, or swim. Combine dynamic exercises with static ones—such as the Six Sounds Breathwork, Nei Qi Gong, or Mind-Focus Meditation—to achieve harmony between movement and stillness. Movement strengthens the body, stillness nurtures the spirit—leading to holistic well-being. Note: Those who enjoy cold exposure should begin in autumn, gradually adapting to climate changes, persisting consistently to enhance the body’s adaptability and resistance to variable weather.
Prevention: Harmonious Health
Autumn is a peak season for intestinal infectious diseases, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and other illnesses, often triggering relapses of old conditions like gastritis, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. Middle-aged and elderly people with hypertension, coronary heart disease, or diabetes risk worsening conditions in late autumn, potentially leading to hypertensive crisis, acute myocardial infarction, or stroke—life-threatening complications.
Therefore, everyone must adopt a prevention-first mindset.
1. Focus on food hygiene: Avoid raw water and spoiled or bacteria-contaminated food. Those with chronic gastritis must pay special attention to dietary adjustments—eat moderate, warm, soft, light, and bland meals. Avoid raw foods, refrain from binge eating, and quit smoking and drinking.
2. Maintain environmental hygiene: Eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and take measures to prevent bites. Children should receive JE vaccine on schedule. Anyone exposed to JE or susceptible populations should also get vaccinated promptly to boost immunity.
3. Prevent colds during sudden weather changes—especially helpful for chronic bronchitis and asthma patients to avoid relapse.
4. Provide intervention for hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetic patients: Control blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar within ideal ranges, maintaining balance. This effectively prevents complications, improves quality of life, and ensures a healthy autumn.