🌿 Folk Prescriptions

As people transition from the unbearable summer heat into autumn—a season full of potential health risks—taking preventive measures in the following aspects ensures a safe and healthy golden autumn.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Lung Disorders
TCM believes that early autumn is dominated by dryness, with lingering dampness. Combined dampness and dryness easily damage lung qi, leading to upper respiratory infections and acute bronchitis. TCM employs methods to clear heat and moisten lungs, such as decocting 30g of Ophiopogon japonicus and 15g of Chrysanthemum morifolium, then drinking the infusion as tea. This beverage nourishes yin, moistens lungs, clears heart-fire, and promotes saliva production, making it an excellent health drink for preventing autumn dryness.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Stroke
In late autumn, cold air gradually intensifies and combines with dryness. Cold causes constriction, leading to vascular contraction and increased incidence of cerebrovascular diseases. Mild cases present with facial asymmetry; severe cases result in collapse. To prevent this, increase intake of protein, magnesium, and calcium-rich foods, effectively reducing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Avoid overeating; dinner should be about 80% full. Drink light tea during the day, which protects the heart.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Chest Bi (Chest Obstruction)
Chest bi resembles myocardial infarction in modern medicine. Cold-induced constriction increases peripheral vascular resistance, causing blood pressure to rise gradually in autumn—the greatest hidden threat for chest bi patients. Besides moderate exercise such as walking or jogging, drinking a glass of warm water upon waking dilutes blood; undergoing cold resistance training also provides good prevention. Regular consumption of Huo Xue Kai Bi Yin (a decoction to activate blood and open obstructions): 15g of Lycium barbarum and 20g of Hawthorn fruit. First boil hawthorn for 2–5 minutes, then use the hot decoction to steep lycium as tea.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Skin Damage
During autumn, skin moisture evaporates faster. Exposed skin becomes rough and loses elasticity, potentially developing cracks. Avoid alkaline soaps for bathing. Pay attention to daily skin care; consume foods like loach, mandarin fish, white duck meat, peanuts, pears, red dates, lotus seeds, grapes, sugarcane, sesame, walnuts, honey, silver ear fungus, and pears—these help moisturize skin and enhance complexion.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Colds
Autumn is the peak season for colds. Early autumn experiences sudden shifts from warmth to cold, making it difficult for the body’s regulatory mechanisms to adapt. When temperatures drop, wear warm clothing promptly; keep windows open regularly to maintain fresh indoor air; during cold outbreaks, use vinegar fumigation to disinfect rooms; frequently wash face and nose with cold water to aid cold prevention.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Obesity
During summer, people sweat more, sleep less, and appetite generally declines, resulting in reduced caloric intake and improved obesity. In contrast, autumn sees the opposite trend. Additionally, the body actively stores fat for winter insulation. Carelessness easily leads to weight gain, particularly harmful for obese individuals. Eat low-calorie foods like adzuki beans, radishes, bamboo shoots, Job’s tears, seaweed, mushrooms; plan increased physical activity; take advantage of travel opportunities to relax, boost energy expenditure, and achieve weight loss.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Fog Hazards
During autumn and winter, cold air meets moisture in the lower atmosphere, condensing into suspended tiny droplets—this is fog. As fog droplets drift, they absorb harmful substances like acids, bases, salts, amines, phenols, dust, and pathogenic microorganisms. This poses serious threats to health, daily life, and transportation. On foggy days, reduce outdoor activities; pause morning exercises; wear masks and cover hair when going out; cleanse exposed skin after returning home; pay attention to traffic safety.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Depression
Autumn brings withered grass, falling leaves, and dying plants—creating a bleak scene that evokes feelings of sorrow, melancholy, and grief. If combined with personal setbacks, depression easily ensues. Cultivate optimism daily; view natural changes rationally; visit relatives and friends, climb high places, enjoy scenic views to uplift spirits; practice qigong quietly to calm the mind and maintain inner peace.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Gastric Damage
Autumn features large diurnal temperature differences. Cold air stimulation increases gastric acid secretion and causes gastrointestinal spasm. As weather turns colder, appetite increases, burdening the digestive system and increasing the risk of gastric issues. People with gastric problems must especially protect their stomachs in autumn; diet should be warm, soft, light, bland, and fresh—eat at regular times, in small portions; avoid excessively cold, hard, hot, spicy, sticky foods; quit smoking and drinking; avoid stress, anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing Food Poisoning
Autumn sees rapid bacterial proliferation and food spoilage—making it a high-risk period for bacterial food poisoning, bacillary dysentery, E. coli enteritis, and refrigerator enteritis (Yersinia enteritis). Prevention requires strict hygiene: avoid raw, spoiled, or undercooked foods; thoroughly clean fruits and other raw foods; develop the habit of washing hands before meals and after defecation; consume moderate amounts of raw garlic and scallions with meals.
Autumn Health Preservation: Preventing “Cold Legs”
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint, commonly known as “old-age cold legs,” is closely related to climate. Thus, extra care for knee joints is crucial in autumn. First, keep knees warm and protected from cold; second, engage in appropriate physical exercise such as tai chi, slow jogging, or various calisthenics—exercise intensity should be comfortable with slight sweating. Moderately consuming herbal wines prepared by TCM practitioners can also effectively prevent “cold legs.”
Autumn Health Preservation: Avoiding Unwise Supplementation
Autumn is ideal for tonifying yin-deficient individuals. However, do not assume that because autumn’s temperature is relatively mild, it is the best time for all types of deficiency supplementation. Do not indiscriminately over-supplement without distinguishing cold, heat, deficiency, or excess. In TCM, no supplementation is used for non-deficiency conditions, regardless of season. In autumn, if one exhibits symptoms of yin deficiency with yang exuberance and insufficient body fluids, focus on nourishing yin and moistening dryness. Commonly used items 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.