🌿 Folk Prescriptions

People move from the unbearable summer heat into a "troublesome" autumn. If we take precautions in the following aspects, we can safely enjoy the golden season.
Prevent Lung Diseases
TCM believes that early autumn is dominated by dryness, with lingering dampness. Combined, damp and dry pathogens easily injure lung qi, making upper respiratory infections and acute bronchitis common. TCM employs methods to clear heat and moisten the lungs. Use 30g Ophiopogon japonicus and 15g Chrysanthemum morifolium, boil in water and drink as tea. This has effects of nourishing yin, moistening the lungs, clearing the heart, relieving irritability, and generating fluids—ideal for preventing autumn dryness.
Prevent Stroke
In late autumn, cold intensifies and combines with dryness. Cold constricts, causing blood vessels to contract, increasing cerebrovascular incidents. Mild cases present with facial drooping; severe cases collapse. To prevent this, increase intake of protein, magnesium, and calcium-rich foods—effective in preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and reducing stroke risk. Avoid overeating; dinner should be about 80% full. Drink weak tea during the day, which protects the heart.
Prevent Angina
Angina resembles modern myocardial infarction. Cold causes constriction, increasing peripheral vascular resistance, raising blood pressure in autumn—potentially fatal for angina patients. Besides moderate exercise like walking or jogging, drinking a glass of warm water upon waking dilutes blood; undergoing cold resistance training also helps prevent it. Regularly drink "Kai Bi Yin": 15g Goji berries, 20g Hawthorn. First steep hawthorn in boiling water for 2–5 minutes, then use the decoction to brew goji berries as tea.
Prevent Skin Damage
Autumn accelerates skin moisture evaporation. Exposed skin becomes rough and less elastic, possibly cracking. Avoid alkaline soaps for bathing. Pay attention to daily skincare. Eat more mudfish, shad, white duck meat, peanuts, pears, red dates, lotus seeds, grapes, sugarcane, sesame, walnuts, honey, silver ear fungus, and pears—these effectively moisturize skin and improve complexion.
Prevent Cold
Autumn is the peak season for colds. Early autumn sees fluctuating temperatures—hot one moment, cold the next—making the body’s regulatory mechanisms struggle to adapt. When cold sets in, wear warm clothes promptly. Keep windows open regularly to maintain fresh indoor air. During cold outbreaks, fumigate rooms with vinegar. Regularly washing face and nose with cold water also aids prevention.
Prevent Obesity
Summer sweating reduces calorie expenditure and lowers appetite, improving obesity. In autumn, the opposite occurs. To prepare for winter, the body actively stores fat. Carelessness easily leads to weight gain—harmful for obese individuals. In autumn, eat low-calorie foods like red adzuki beans, radishes, bamboo shoots, Job’s tears, seaweed, mushrooms. Increase physical activity systematically. Seize opportunities for travel to uplift mood and burn calories—achieving weight loss.
Prevent Fog
Winter cold air meets moisture in the lower atmosphere, condensing into suspended tiny droplets—this is fog. Droplets absorb harmful substances like acids, alkalis, salts, amines, phenols, dust, and pathogens during drift. This greatly affects health, daily life, and travel. On foggy days, reduce outdoor activities; pause morning exercises. Wear masks and protect hair when outside; cleanse exposed skin upon returning. Pay attention to traffic safety.
Prevent Depression
Autumn sees withering grass and falling leaves, with flowers and trees dying—creating a desolate scene. People naturally feel melancholy, sad, or anxious. If faced with unpleasant events, depression easily ensues. Cultivate optimism daily. View natural changes rationally. Visit relatives, climb mountains, admire scenery—heart-warming and refreshing. Or practice qigong meditation, calm the mind, and maintain inner peace.
Prevent Gastric Issues
Autumn features large day-night temperature differences. Cold air stimulation increases gastric acid secretion and causes gastrointestinal spasms. As weather turns cool, appetite surges, burdening the stomach and intestines—easy to trigger gastric problems. Those with gastric issues must especially protect their stomachs in autumn. Diet should be warm, soft, mild, light, and fresh—eat on schedule, in small portions. Avoid excessively cold, hard, hot, spicy, sticky foods. Quit smoking and drinking. Avoid stress, anxiety, and anger.
Prevent Poisoning
Autumn sees rapid bacterial proliferation and food spoilage—common season for bacterial food poisoning, bacillary dysentery, E. coli enteritis, and refrigerator enteritis (Yersinia enteritis). Prevention requires strict hygiene: avoid raw, spoiled, or undercooked food; wash and disinfect raw fruits and vegetables; practice handwashing before meals and after toilet use; consume garlic and scallions with meals.
Prevent "Old Cold Legs"
Osteoarthritis of the knee joints, commonly known as "old cold legs," is closely related to climate. In autumn, extra care must be taken to protect knees. First, keep warm and avoid cold. Second, engage in reasonable physical exercise—like tai chi, slow running, or various calisthenics—exercise intensity should leave you slightly sweaty but comfortable. Drinking herbal wine prepared by TCM practitioners can also help prevent "old cold legs."
Prevent Uncontrolled Supplementation
Autumn is ideal for nourishing yin-deficient individuals. But avoid assuming autumn’s relatively mild temperatures make it the perfect season for all deficiencies—don’t indiscriminately supplement without distinguishing cold, heat, deficiency, or excess. In TCM, no supplementation is used for non-deficiency conditions, regardless of season. In autumn, if signs of yin deficiency and yang excess appear—such as insufficient body fluids—focus on nourishing yin and moistening dryness. Common remedies include black-boned chicken, pork lung, turtle meat, bird’s nest, silver ear fungus, honey, sesame, soy milk, lotus root, walnuts, Job’s tears, peanuts, duck eggs, spinach, pears, etc.