Chapter 5 Pleasant Ways to Cope with Dryness in Autumn

5.1 Ways to moisturize your dry skin in autumn

Following summer is the dry autumn. Our bodies become rather dry and our skins are prone to peeling and desquamation, which may greatly affect our appearance. This happens because temperature and air humidity drop in autumn, causing the decrease of sebum and sweat, so our skin can’t be moisturized by “water”. Water can moisturize everything in the world. The land without water is as dry as the shell of a turtle. As for human skin, if not moisturized by water, it will also become wrinkled.

Many of you may think that we can solve this problem by drinking more water. Indeed, it is one of the useful ways, but not the best. Because without nutrients, the water we drink will quickly flow through the digestive tract, go into blood, and then be excreted from kidneys. The zang-fu organs of the human body are very clever. They know that pure water has nothing to be absorbed, so they say good-bye to them soon.

Compared with pure water, decoction is a quite nice choice. It contains various nutrients which can absorb a lot of water molecules, delay the absorption of water and prevent them from being excreted quickly. In this way, there is more time for our bodies to get moisturized.

Here are four recommended decoctions for you. They will surely make your skin moistened and tender .

Longan aril, date and white fungus decoction : Prepare 3 white fungi, 5 dates, 2 longan arils and some rock sugar. 1. Soak the white fungi in water, then cut off their stalks, and tear them into small pieces. Set aside; 2. Soak the dates and longan arils in water for half an hour, then take them out and put them into the pot; 3. Add the prepared white fungi, rock sugar and water into the pot; 4. cook over a strong fire until it is boiling, then turn to mild fire to simmer for another 25 minutes, and that’s it!

White fungus is a good tonic characterized by nourishing but not sticky property. It can benefit spleen, wake up appetite, replenish Qi, clear intestines, nourish yin and moisten dryness. Wild white fungus is rare and used to be a valuable tonic in ancient China. However, since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, thanks to successful cultivation of white fungus, it has turned to be a tonic that every family can afford. Date, characterized by being rich in vitamins, is known as “natural vitamin pills” which can nourish yin, tonify yang and blood. Sufficient Qi and blood can make our skin ruddy and glowing. Longan aril itself also has the function of moisturizing skin. Therefore, this soup has the effects of improving skin tone, moisturizing skin and making it elastic.

White fungus and cherry custard : Prepare 2 white fungi, 100 grams of cherries, some rock sugar (to taste). 1. Soak the white fungi in water until they turn soft, then remove their stalks. Set aside; 2. Wash and core the cherries; 3. Put white fungi into the pot, add water, and cook for 30 minutes, then add the rock sugar; 4. Add the cherries, and cook for a few minutes. That’s it!

White fungus, sweet and mild, is neutral in property with no poison. It has the effects of benefiting spleen and waking up appetite, replenishing Qi and clearing intestines, nourishing yin and moistening lungs . What’s more, white fungus is rich in

Anecdotes about food-therapy natural plant-derived gum, with the effect of nourishing yin. It is a nice food that can be eaten over a long period for moisturizing skin. Cherry is as beautiful as crystal, and as red as agate. It is tasty and rich in sugar, protein, Vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, etc. Chinese medicine believes that cherry is sweet, with the effects of replenishing Qi, invigorating spleen and harmonizing stomach. The decoction mixed with white fungus and cherry has the effects of tonifying Qi and nourishing blood, whitening and tenderizing skin.

Lily bulb and mung bean decoction: Prepare 250 grams of mung beans, 100 grams of lily bulbs, and some rock sugar (to taste). 1. Split lily bulbs and peel off their skins; 2. Wash mung beans; 3. Put lily bulbs and mung beans into a casserole, add some water; 4. Bring them to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer, cook until mung beans and lilies turn meshed; 5. Add rock sugar, and that’s it!

Mung bean has the function of clearing inner-heat. Although the temperature gradually drops in autumn, hot weather can reappear, which is commonly known as “hot autumn”. Therefore, clearing inner-heat in autumn is still an important task. Moreover, mung bean also has the functions of evacuating toxin and beautifying the skin. Lily bulb has the effects of nourishing yin, moistening lungs, clearing away the heart-heat and calming the spirit. According to the records of Orthodox Interpretation of Materia Medica, “Lily bulb, sweet and cold in property, can promote urination and stool. Although Herbal Classic contends that lily bulb is sweet and neutral in property, it is mainly used to clear inner-heat both in ancient and modern times, and that proves its property.” Therefore, this decoction has a detoxifying effect on the body and a beautifying effect on the skin.

Beautifying decoction with loofahs : Prepare 2 loofahs, 15 grams each of roses, chrysanthemums and poria, 10 red dates (pitted), 300 grams of lean meat, condiment (to taste). 1. Peel and seed loofahs, then wash and cut them into small pieces; 2. Soak and clean roses, chrysanthemums and poria in water, slice lean meat and set aside; 3. Add lean meat, red dates, poria and loofahs into water and cook for about 1 hour; 4. Add roses, chrysanthemums and condiments, and further cook for a while. It is done and you can enjoy it!

Loofah is both a food and a medicine. When used as medicine, it has the effects of cooling, diuresis, activating blood, dredging channels and removing toxin. Besides, loofah contains B vitamins to prevent skin from aging and vitamin C to whiten skin. It is a rare gift for beauty, which can protect our skin, eliminate spots and make our skin fair and tender, thus its juice is called “water of beauty”. Long-term consumption of loofah can make our skin smoother. Used as a medicine, rose is sweet and slightly bitter in taste, and warm in property. It can soothe liver, relieve depression, activate blood and relieve pain. Chrysanthemum, used as medicine, has the effects of dispelling wind-heat, pacifying liver, improving vision, clearing heat and removing toxin. Poria can promote urination, drain dampness, invigorate spleen and soothe heart. Jujube has the effects of nourishing Qi and blood.

Lean meat is rich in nutrition. There is such a popular saying: “Meat can nourish the body for 3 days, but broth can nourish the body for 7 days”, that is, the nutrition in broth is higher than that of meat in the soup. Broth contains part of the water-soluble substances from lean meat, such as inorganic salts and water-soluble Vitamins. There is also a small amount of water-soluble protein and hydrolysate, such as peptides and amino acids. It is these substances that make the soup taste delicious. The more they dissolve in soup, the more intense the soup tastes . They can stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and improve appetite. This prescription has the effects of smoothing skin and delaying aging.

In autumn, in addition to supplementing protein to meet the needs of our skin , we should also eat more high-fiber vegetables to relax our bowels so that to eliminate toxins from our bodies. In short, you girls should learn to take care of yourselves. The dry climate in autumn is a severe test for your skin . Girls who dream to look attractive

Anecdotes about food-therapy should be more familiar with tips of skin-care in autumn.

5.2 Five-ingredient decoction drives away “troubled autumn”

There is a Chinese idiom called “troubled autumn” which means that when autumn comes, bad things happen one after another.

In early autumn, the weather is still very hot, but the temperature is quite different throughout the day. If failing to pay attention to health care, you can easily get sick.

According to TCM, autumn is characterized by the pattern of dryness. It can cause diseases with dry mouth, dry nose, dry throat, dry cough, dry skin and other symptoms. Therefore, we should eat more moistening food, such as autumnal pear, sugar cane, water chestnuts and white fungus. In clinical practice, medicinal materials like adenophora stricta, dwarf lilyturf tuber, lily bulb and fragrant solomonseal rhizome are commonly used to clear lungs , nourish stomach, promote fluid production and moisten dryness.

If you want to get through “troubled autumn” restfully, there is a formula of dietectic therapy named “Five-ingredient decoction” for you.

It is also a very simple recipe. Prepare a snow pear, 20 grams of water chestnuts, 20 grams of lotus roots, 10 grams of dwarf lilyturf tuber and 235 grams of fresh reed rhizome. Put them into a pot. Add some water, bring the water to a boil, then turn to mild fire to simmer for 30 minutes. Add honey to taste. Store it after cooling. You can drink it as a substitute for tea.

I believe everyone knows snow-pear. Fresh snow pear is sweet and juicy, which is very popular among people. Used as medicine, pear has the effects of promoting fluid production, moistening dryness, clearing heat and resolving phlegm. Nutritional studies indicate that pearcontains sugar, protein, fat and vitamins, which plays important roles in human health. Some scientists and physicians call pear as “all-round healthy fruit” or “general practitioner”. In addition, pear has the effect of improving lung function. Nowadays, because of the serious air pollution, more and more people use pear to lessen the impact of dust and smoke on lungs.

The skin of water chestnuts is dark purple. Its flesh is white in color, sweet, juicy and crisp in taste. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Moreover, as it is cold in property and rich in mucus, it has good effects of clearing heat and reducing fire. It is mainly used to treat symptoms caused by autumnal dryness, such as sore-throat, scanty dark urine and oliguria.

Lotus root is slightly sweet and crisp. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Due to its high medicinal value, it was appointed as an imperial meal tribute during the Xianfeng Period of the Qing Dynasty. Being eaten raw, lotus root can clear heat, promote fluid production, cool blood and stop bleeding, while cooked lotus root can tonify and replenish spleen and stomach, replenish blood and engender muscle . Moreover, lotus root is rich in vitamin C and minerals, which can make the skin glowing.

Dwarf lilyturf tuber has the effects of promoting fluid production to quench thirst, moistening lungs and relieving cough. In Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica , it is listed as a top-grade choice to nourish yin and moisten lungs by saying that “longintake of dwarf lilyturf tuber always keeps one young and full”. Reed rhizome is the fresh or dry rhizome of reed. It is sweet in flavor and cold in property, entering lung and stomach meridians. It has the functions of clearing heat, promoting fluid production, relieving restlessness, preventing vomiting and inducing diuresis. According to Treatise on Medicinal Properties, “Reed rhizome can relieve intense heat, wake up appetite and cure hiccup and choking. “

The fiveingredient decoction is not only tasty, but also beneficial to health . It is an invaluable autumnal drink, which can promote fluid production to quench thirst, moisten lungs, relieve cough and clear summerheat.

In general, autumn is the driest time of the year. Therefore, our skin and zang-fu

Anecdotes about food-therapy organs also lack water in autumn. We might experience autumn-dryness symptoms such as tight skin, peeling, dry hair and dry lips. To cope with dryness, we should drink more water, have more porridge, but eat less or no spicy and fried food. With a reasonable diet, we all can get through “troubled autumn” restfully.

5.3 It’s not difficult to DIY “steamed snow pear with rock sugar” by yourself

There is a popular sweet drink called “rock sugar and snow pear” on the market. According to its advertisements: “Well-selected snow pears, juicy and tender, mixed with rock sugar by a combination of traditional and modern methods, give great delight in a sweet and fresh taste, as well as with effects of nourishing lungs and relieving dryness.”

Snow pear and rock sugar decoction is a popular nourishing drink handed down from generation to generation. Tasting sweet and fresh, it possesses properties of promoting fluid production, nourishing stomach, clearing heat and quenching thirst. More than a thousand years ago, smart Chinese people started to make “pear decoction” for moistening lungs and relieving cough. Since this “miracle drug” is easy to make and only requires ordinary ingredients, it is widely spread among people.

In autumn, it is dry and our lungs are weaker. Since the physiological characteristics of lungs prefer moisture to dryness, autumnal dryness is most likely to hurt our lungs, leading to sore and itchy throat, or coughing. In this case, snow pear and rock sugar decoction is very nourishing for our lungs.

However, the “ rock sugar and snow pear ” on the market is added with preservatives, pigments, sweeteners and other chemical additives, not only moistening the lungs, but also bringing harm to health, so it is not suitable to drink it too frequently.

If we make it ourselves, we can use fresh ingredients and drink it instantly after it is done. Thus, we don’t have to worry about any harm. Its recipe is very simple. Prepare a high-quality snow pear, 6 grams of rock sugar, 3 grams of Chinese wolfberry fruits, 30 grams of water.1. Remove the top (about 1/5) of the pear with a knife and make it as a cover, then dig out the core of the pear with a spoon; 2. Clean the pear, then fill it up with rock sugar, Chinese wolfberry fruitS and cold boiled water; 3. Put the cover back on the pear and steam it in the drawer for 1-1.5 hours; 4. Turn off the fire and open the lid. It is done and you can enjoy it now!

To make the drink viscous and translucent, we’d better choose Hebei pear and polycrystalline rock sugar when selecting ingredients. Although Hebei pear is unpalatable when it is eaten raw, boiling it with water will make the drink translucent and sweet. Therefore, it is a good substitute for snow pear. As for polycrystalline rock sugar, it can make the drink more viscous. Even though monocrystalline rock sugar also works, it would be less viscous. What's more, do not add too much water into the pear, because steam will enter the bowl during the process of steaming, and that would increase the height of the water. Hence, just add an appropriate amount of water to avoid overflowing.

Used as medicine, snow pear is sweet in taste and cold in property. It contains malic acid, citric acid, vitamin B, vitamin B2, vitamin C, carotene and other nutrients, with the effects of promoting fluid production, moistening dryness, clearing heat and resolving phlegm. Medical research has proved that pear does have the functions of moistening lungs, relieving dryness, relieving cough, resolving phlegm, nourishing blood and engendering muscle. It is effective for patients with acute bronchitis and upper respiratory infections, showing symptoms of dry throat, itchy throat, sore throat, hoarse voice, thick sputum, constipation, reddish urine, etc. Thus, pears are particularly fit for tackling dryness in autumn.

Both snow pear and rock sugar are very tasty. Combining the two, steamed snow pear with rock sugar is nutritious and healthy. It can not only dispel phlegm heat, cure

Anecdotes about food-therapy asthma, nourish yin and moisten lungs, but also has a nourishing and protective effect on the throat. Singers and broadcasters use it as a secret weapon to protect their throats.

In addition, if having already begun to cough, you can replace the Chinese wolfberry fruit in the formula with tendrilleaf fritillary bulb (fritillaria), which is a traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of moistening lungs and relieving cough. Since the fritillaria produced in Sichuan province has the best medicinal effect, it is also called Sichuan fritillary bulb. Concerning the details of cooking, fritillaria should be ground into powder before adding into snow pear and steaming. In this way, the original drink turns into “fritillaria, rock sugar and snow pear paste”, with an additional effect of relieving cough.

5.4 The embarrassment of constipation can be solved at home

The symptoms of autumnal dryness such as dry lips, “smoking” nose and sorethroat seem to happen every autumn. Constipation is also very common in this season, and it is closely related to autumnal dryness.

From the perspective of TCM, constipation is caused by the weakening of conducting function of the large intestine. The large intestine can convert dregs in the diet into poopoos, which are then excreted from the body. Moreover, it can also reabsorb the water in dietary dregs. Therefore, the main physiological functions of the large intestine are transmitting dregs and absorbing body fluids.

Dryness is the dominant Qi of autumn, corresponding to lung Qi, so it is most likely to impair lungs. Pattern of dryness hurt lungs and the fluids of lungs. As the large intestine is complementary to lungs, the heat of lungs moves down to the large intestine, depleting the fluids of the large intestine and causing the dryness of the large intestine, which further leads to the weakening of its conducting function and ultimately, constipation. Therefore, people who are constipated might become worse due to the autumnal dryness, and those who are not constipated might be prone to constipation in autumn.

Constipation seems to be a small problem, but it can be very painful. It can induce the onset of hemorrhoids and anal fissure, leading to the accumulation of toxins in the body. However, since we know that autumnal constipation is related to “dryness”, we can start the treatment with “lungs”.

Here is a home-remedy for constipation. Prepare 20 grams of carrots, 20 grams of mooli, 10 grams of great burdock achene and 5 savory mushrooms. Chop them up and boil them in water. Then it is done and you can drink it as tea.

The principal drug here is “great burdock achene”, which enters lung meridian and is good at clearing lung heat. According to the records of Encountering with Origin of Herbal Classic : “Sunianzi (great burdock achene) is a medicine acting on lungs. Regarded as a good remedy for smallpox, it can also treat rheumatic rash and wind-heat throat, and disperse the toxins of swelling and sores.” Moreover, it has a laxative effect. Modern researches show that burdock is rich in water, dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, etc. Although it does not taste soft and slithery, it can promote intestinal peristalsis and defecation, and relieve flatulence.

Everyone knows the efficacy of turnip. It is rich in crude fiber, which can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, keep bowel movements unobstructed, help lose weight and prevent colon cancer. Savory mushroom is a typical health food with high protein, high iron, low fat and low calorie. It can play a considerable role in promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis and helping digestion.

In this folk formula, apart from great burdock achene, other ingredients are very easy to be obtained. The common feature of these ingredients is that they contain a relatively large amount of dietary fiber. So, the above formula is arguably a natural food therapy that promotes gastro-intestinal peristalsis and defecation.

Autumnal constipation seems to be caused by the dryness of intestines, but in fact,

Anecdotes about food-therapy the real cause of the dryness lies in lungs. Therefore, we should not only moisten our intestines, but also our lungs by eating more grapefruits, persimmons, water chestnuts, oranges, white fungi, snow pears, lotus roots and less spicy food or condiments, like leek, garlic, chive, ginger, star anise, and fennel. Furthermore, we should also eat less fried food to avoid aggravating autumn dryness and impairing yin.

Besides, psychological adjustment is very important for the treatment of constipation. Many people often suffer from constipation due to a bad mood. Panic, tension and sadness can lead to constipation or make the condition worse. Hence, students with constipation should adjust their emotions to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. Taking part in recreational activities and doing more exercise are also conducive to intestinal peristalsis and defecation.

5.5 Autumn comes, leaves turn yellow, and some students start to lose hair.

Once a mother took her child to the hospital because her child lost hair badly. The mother felt guilty as she thought she had put too much pressure of study on her child.

Nowadays, teenagers are under a lot of pressure resulting from study. More and more students go to the clinic because of hair loss. However, hair-loss of many teenagers is also related to the season.

Think about it. Do trees gradually shed their leaves in autumn? Many animals lose their hair in autumn, so do people. Some might lose hair more seriously in autumn. Therefore, you do not need to be too nervous about hair loss, but to be clear that it happens merely because of the weather in autumn, not because of any serious illness.

When autumn comes, changes in temperature would slow down the cell division in the human body, and accordingly reduce the secretion of sebaceous glands in the scalp. As a result, hair follicles would atrophy and the channels for hair to obtain nutrients would be blocked. These are the reasons why our hair often turns dry, dull, tangled, and even falls down in autumn.

So, it’s not surprising that you lose your hair in autumn. Just remember to hydrate your body, especially scalp when you start losing hair. As a saying goes: “Dietary nourishment is better than medicinal nourishment.” Are there any effective food therapies in TCM to treat hair loss? There is a very good choice, i.e. “mixed vegetable juice”.

This recipe is also very simple. Prepare 1 carrot, 2 apricots, half of an apple and 40 grams of parsley. Peel the carrot, apricot and apple. Put them in a blender with celery and mix them thoroughly. Then it is done. It’s as convenient as making soy milk in daily life .

Carrot is rich in nutrients. As we all know, it contains a lot of carotene which is an indispensable nutrient for human health. If eating carrots often, you can protect your eyesight, hydrate your skin and improve your immunity effectively. Apricot is a fruit familiar to us. It is a good tonic, containing a variety of organic ingredients, vitamins and inorganic salt that are essential to the human body. Moreover, in terms of medicinal efficacy, apricot has the effects of promoting fluid production to quench thirst, moistening lungs and arresting panting. It can be used for treating thirst, cough, dry throat and lung dryness caused by autumn dryness.

Apple, rich in nutrients, is the most common fruit and ranks first among four major fruits in the world (apple, grape, orange and banana). It also has such elements as copper, iodine, manganese, zinc and potassium. If our bodies lack these elements, our skin will be prone to dryness, chap and itch. But don’t worry, we can easily supplement these elements by eating more apples. Celery is a health-care vegetable rich in nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, minerals, Vitamins as well as celery oil. It has the effects of reducing blood pressure, harmonizing stomach, tranquilizing, diuresis and so on. Previous studies have proved that celery contains a lot of cellulose which can

Anecdotes about food-therapy also absorb acidic toxins produced by fat metabolism in the body and this is beneficial to slow down hair loss.

The fruits and vegetables in the recipe above are all commonly used for hydrating, making the juice a good choice in dry autumn to prevent hair loss, stay hydrated and supplement various nutrients to the body.

Everyone wants beautiful black hair, but no pains, no gains. Scalp is the “soil” on which hair “grows”. If we don’t work hard on the soil, we won’t be able to harvest the fruit. When the scalp is dry and hard, the hair would lack nutrients. At this point, massaging the scalp can help relax nerves and promote blood circulation. You can do it by yourself: spread ten fingers to comb from the forehead to the back of the head with just a little force several times. It is like “hoeing”. Only when the soil is loosened, can nutrients be supplied to seeds painlessly.

5.6 Recurrence of asthma worries mothers. Try these dietectic therapies to prevent asthma.

Many parents are quite worried about the recurrence of their children’s asthma. Their worries are necessary, because asthma is indeed a life-threatening disease. Many celebrities, beloved by students, died of asthma. On May 8, 1995, Teresa Teng, the Asia’s eternal queen of pop music, died of asthma in Chiang Mai, Thailand when her boy-friend Paul happened to be out. On December 9, 2013, Ke Shouliang, a famous artist, died unexpectedly, and it was later confirmed that his death was caused by an asthma attack. On April 25, 2016, Mei Baojiu, a master of Peking Opera, died of a sudden tracheal spasm.

Moreover, it is easy to have asthma attacks in autumn.

According to the theory of “Five seasons correspond to five internal organs” in TCM, autumn corresponds to lungs. Because the lung is delicate and needs special care, it is called “delicate viscus” in terms of its physiological characteristics. The climate in autumn keeps changing - often hot in the daytime and cold at night – as a nightmare for some asthma patients. Therefore, asthma most often occurs in autumn.

Based on the theory of TCM, the insidious root of asthma is that “the phlegm lurks in the body and can’t be removed”. To asthma, the evil of the root is usually “imprisoned” in lungs, and lungs are “the doorkeeper” of the disease. Catching a cold, getting caught in the rain, or dryness-heat impairing body fluids can make the lungs sick when the climate changes. As a sick employee can’t do his job wholeheartedly, sick lungs give the “insidous phlegm” an opportunity to “run away” and “commit crimes”.

Now that we know the pathogenesis of asthma, our prevention can be more targeted. As long as we take good care of our lungs in autumn, we can prevent and reduce the frequency of asthma attacks. Here are four dietary remedies to prevent autumnal asthma.

Almond and honey decoction : Prepare 9 grams of almonds, 30 grams of honey. Peel the almonds and remove their tips. Put the almonds and honey into a pot. Add some water and stew. It is done and you can take it now.

According to the theory of TCM and traditional Chinese medicine, almond has the effects of promoting fluid production to quench thirst, moistening lungs and arresting panting. In Compendium of Materia Medica, moistening lungs ranks first among three major effects of almond being listed (moistening lungs, clearing accumulated food and dispersing stagnation). Honey has multiple functions such as tonifying the middle , moistening dryness, relieving pain, removing toxin and relieving cough. It can improve the human immunity. If conditions permit, you’d better choose citrus honey which has a more prominent effect on promoting fluid production to quench thirst, moistening lungs and waking up appetite.

Boiled eggs with green tea leaves: Prepare 15 grams of green tea leaves, 2 eggs. Boil green tea leaves and eggs in a bowl with a half of water. Remove the eggshells

Anecdotes about food-therapy when the eggs are cooked, then boil them again until the water boils away. All done. Take it twice a day.

Green tea is known as “national drink” in China. A large number of modern scientific studies have confirmed that tea leaves do contain bio-chemical components that are closely related to human health. It not only has the pharmacological effects of refreshing spirit, clearing heart, clearing summerheat, promoting digestion, resolving phlegm, removing fat, reducing weight, removing vexation, removing toxin, dispelling the effects of alcohol, promoting fluid production to quench thirst, descending fire, improving vision, stopping dysentery and removing dampness, but also has certain therapeutic effects on many modern diseases. Egg is rich in nutrition. It is sweet in taste and neutral in property in terms of medicinal purpose. With effects of tonifying lungs and blood, nourishing yin and moistening dryness, it is commonly used to reinforce healthy Qi.

Pumpkin, ginger and honey decoction: Prepare half a pumpkin. Remove the pith. Peel and cut the pumpkin into pieces. Put it in a pot. Add water, a little ginger juice, some rock sugar and honey, then simmer for 2 hours.

According to TCM, pumpkin is sweet in taste and warm in property, with the functions of tonifying middle , replenishing Qi, clearing heat and removing toxin. Pumpkin itself contains special nutrients, which can enhance human immunity and prevent arteriosclerosis. It has been regarded as a special health-care vegetable worldwide. Ginger has the effects of inducing sweating to releaseing the exterior, warming middle and arresting vomiting, warming lungs and arresting cough and removing toxin. So, taking raw ginger can help to improve human immunity to fight against diseases and there has been an old saying among doctors of Chinese medicine and common folks: “Ginger can cure all diseases.”

Fried shrimps with celery: Prepare 200 grams of tender celery, 40 grams of shrimp, 40 grams of lard, 10ml of cooking wine, 5 grams of salt, 2 grams of MSG and some soup. 1. Wash the celery and remove its leaves; 2. Cut the leaf stalk into two halves from the middle and cut each half into 2cm segments; 3. Blanch them in boiling water for a while, then remove and drain the water. Set the pan on the fire; 4. Add lard and fry the shrimp until the color changes, then stir fry with celery; 5.Add cooking wine, MSG, salt, and stir well; 6. The dish is ready and you can serve it on a plate. This dish is tender, crisp and tasty, with functions of clearing heat and benefiting lungs.

In addition to reducing high blood pressure, celery can also cool blood, replenish lungs, tonify kidneys, dispel wind, clear stomach and enliven brain. Some people think that celery is also a kind of invigorator which can enhance sexual function and strengthen physique. Therefore, it is beneficial for asthma patients to often eat celery, which can change their poor physical fitness and reduce the severity of asthma attacks.

Asthma is a chronic disease, and the fight against asthma is a long one. It is stressed in TCM: “If healthy-Qi is sufficient in the body, evil cannot invade it .” Besides dietary therapy, we should do more exercises to develop stronger resistance. That is the fundamental to resist pathogens.

5.7 Relieving autumn cough by food

Cough refers to a disease in which dry cough or cough with phlegm is the main clinical symptom. According to TCM, cough is clinically divided into wind-cold cough, wind-heat cough, Qi-deficiency cough, phlegm-heat cough and many other types.

When autumn comes, a special type of cough called “autumn-dryness cough” may happen. It is characterized by dry cough (no phlegm), less phlegm but sticky, thread-like phlegm which is hard to bring up, itchy throat, dry and sore throat, dry mouth and nose, hoarse voice, dry tongue and little body-fluid.

Here is a reminder for you students: when having a dry cough, you had better not take cough medicine, cold medicine or antibiotics blindly or at will. If your parents have

Anecdotes about food-therapy bought relevant medicine, tell them that it won’t work, because such medication may fail to relieve your cough, or even cause continuous cough. If you have a dry cough without other symptoms, you can just watch it first instead of taking medicine, or you can also treat it by using a dietectic therapy.

According to Collected Writings on Flexible Treatment to Diseases , “Cough is caused by dryness of lungs. If lungs are dry, cough happens. Because lungs correspond to metal in five elements, they prefer moisture and generate water to moisten zangfu organs ...” TCM believes that dryness is the dominant Qi of autumn. The evil of autumnal dryness can easily attack lungs through the mouth, nose, respiratory tract, skin and hair, and affect their cleansing and moisturizing functions, thus causing cough due to the disorder of Qi movement. At this time, we can effectively treat cough by taking more ingredients or medicine for nourishing yin and moistening dryness, nourishing lungs and relieving cough. For example, snow pear, dried tangerine peel, tendrilleaf fritillary bulb, mooli and almond have the effects of nourishing lungs and moistening dryness, moistening intestine and relieving constipation, preventing cough.

Now let’s take a look at what kind of dietectic therapies can be made based on these dietectic ingredients.

Steamed dried persimmon with fritillaria powder : Prepare 2 dried persimmons, 10 grams of fritillaria powder. 1. Remove the cores of persimmons and add fritillaria powder; 2. Steam them in the pot; 3. then it is done. Take it twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Persimmon is one of the tasty snacks in autumn. Its sweet taste is very popular. According to TCM, persimmon is sweet in taste, cold in property with no poison. It has the functions of moistening lungs, relieving cough, resolving phlegm and astringing intestines. Fritillaria, the tendrilleaf fritillary bulb produced in Sichuan province, is also an effective cough-killer. Syrups like fritillaria cough syrup and fritillaria loquat syrup which are sold in drugstores use fritillaria as the main medicinal material as it has a better effect on dry cough.

Mooli and dried tangerine peel decoction: Prepare 250 grams of mooli, 3 grams of dried tangerine peel. Chop the mooli, decoct it with dried tangerine peel. Done. Drink this decoction once a day and it should be taken in twice. Mooli is a common vegetable and can be eaten raw or cooked. Modern researches show that mooli contains mustard oil, amylase and crude fiber. It can promote digestion, increase appetite, accelerate gastro-intestinal peristalsis, relieve cough and resolve phlegm. Moreover, it can also clear heat, promote fluid production and alleviate the symptoms of sore-throat and dry throat. Dried tangerine peel has the effects of regulating Qi, invigorating spleen, drying dampness and resolving phlegm. Therefore, this decoction is effective for patients with dry cough and cough with less phlegm.

Stewed snow pear with fritillaria powder : Prepare 1 snow pear, 10 grams of fritillaria powder, 15 grams of rock sugar. 1. Peel the pear, remove its core and slice it; 2. Put the pear slices, fritillaria powder and rock sugar into a bowl; 3. Simmer the ingredients over mild fire for 1 hour and it is done. Take it in twice - drink the decoction and eat the snow pear. Snow pear has the effects of clearing heart, moistening lung, facilitating defecation, relieving cough and moistening dryness. Fritillaria is a commonly used medicine for resolving phlegm and relieving cough. So, this formula has an auxiliary effect on treating autumnal-dryness cough with less phlegm.

Stewed snow pear with almond : Prepare 15 grams of almonds (peeled and crushed), 1 snow pear (washed, peeled and sliced), 20 grams of rock sugar. 1. Put the snow pear, almond and rock sugar into a bowl; 2.Put the bowl into a pot and add some water to the pot; 3. Simmer for 30 minutes and it is done. Take it once in the morning and once at night for 35 days. Almond has the effects of relieving cough and asthma, and moistening intestine and relieving constipation. Snow pear has the effects of clearing heart and moistening lungs, facilitating defecation, relieving cough and moistening dryness. The addition of rock sugar makes it taste better. Since the combination of these ingredients has good effects of moistening lungs and resolving dryness and relieving

Anecdotes about food-therapy cough, you can consider it as a supplement tonic in autumn.

Diet is a very important part of disease prevention. As a saying goes: “Disease enters by the mouth.” To prevent autumn cough, we should try to avoid the stimulation of pungent and spicy food, so as to ensure that our body fluid is not depleted because such food often makes cough worse. Meanwhile, we’d better have a light diet and drink water frequently by taking some more easy-to-digest and nutritious food, like fruits and vegetables.

5.8 What’s the use of smoked plum for stopping thirst in autumn?

During the Three-Kingdom Period, Cao Cao missed the road with the source of water on his march. The soldiers were all thirsty and tired because of the long march and the scorching sun. Cao Cao thought to himself: “How can we fight if this situation continues?” Then he had an idea, saying: “There is a plum forest where we can see lots of plums in front of us. We can surely quench our thirst after eating sour and sweet plums.”

Having heard about it, those soldiers immediately drooled and regained their strength. Cao Cao took this opportunity to lead his troops to continue marching forward and finally found a way to water. This is the story of “Quench thirst by thinking of plums”.

Plum is the fruit of the plum tree. It is sour and sweet with a unique taste. Known as the “king of cool fruit”, it has the effects of astringing lungs and relieving cough, removing vexation and calming heart, and promoting fluid production to quench thirst. After having been smoked by fire, it is called “smoked plum” as its skin turns dark brown. After having been specially processed, plums have an upgraded astringent effects on astringing lungs and relieving cough, hence turning to be a specialized Chinese medicinal material.

The dry climate in autumn can easily cause yin deficiency with inner-heat, leading to dry throat, dry mouth, dreaminess, dry cough with less phlegm, dry eyes, eyepain and other symptoms. TCM believes that the health state of the human body is a harmonious state that reaches the internal balance between yin and yang. In autumn, the pattern of dryness is just in season and the domination of dryness will deplete the body fluid, resulting in less fluid of yin. In this case, yang Qi will have a relative advantage and cause excessive inner-heat in the body.

At this time, using bitter and cold medicine to clear inner-heat will further deplete the fluid of yin, leading to further disharmony of yin and yang. Therefore, we should choose yin-nourishing medicine or food to promote production of fluid of yin. Then, the relative excess of yang Qi will be restrained naturally, and yin and yang will be rebalanced in the body. Smoked plum can promote fluid production to quench thirst, astringe lungs and relieve cough, so it is especially suitable to be eaten in autumn as a good choice for nourishing yin and dispelling inner-heat.

So, what kind of dietectic therapy of smoked plum can we adopt? The following are some quite good choices.

Smoked plum porridge : Prepare 10 grams of smoked plum, 100 grams of rice, and rock sugar (to taste). Fry and boil the smoked plum in the pot. Take the thick juice (remove the residue) and set aside. Cook the japonica rice with the juice, then add the rock sugar. Done. This porridge has the effects of replenishing Qi, promoting fluid production, waking up appetite, quenching thirst and relieving diarrhea. It is useful for chronic cough, chronic diarrhea, dry mouth with no appetite.

Smoked plum and hawthorn decoction: Prepare 10 grams each of smoked plum and hawthorn, sugar (to taste). Put the smoked plum and hawthorn into the pot, add some water to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the fire, set it aside for about 15 minutes, then filter out the decoction, and add white sugar to taste, then it is done. This decoction has the effects of promoting fluid production to quench thirst. It is suitable for

Anecdotes about food-therapy treating anorexia, dry mouth and dry tongue, and can be used as a refreshing drink in early autumn.

Smoked plum and dwarf lilyturf tuber decoction : Prepare 30 grams of smoked plum, 15 grams of dwarf lilyturf tuber and rock sugar (to taste). Put the smoked plum and dwarf lilyturf tuber in an earthen-ware pot. Fry them twice in water, then remove the residue and mix their juice. Add some rock sugar to the juice and simmer for a while, then it is done. This decoction has a better effects on clearing heat and promoting fluid production as it combines the functions of smoked plum on promoting fluid production to quench thirst, dwarf lilyturf tuber on nourishing yin and promoting fluid production, and rock sugar on clearing inner-heat and promoting fluid production.

As for the smoked plum, there is a saying: “A smoked plum plus seven Chinese dates keep the disease and aging away”. Modern researches suggest that the catechin in the smoked plum can promote intestinal peristalsis, so it is suitable for those with constipation. Various organic acids contained in plums can improve liver function, so it is suitable for those with liver diseases. The plum acid contained in plums can soften blood vessels, postpone vascular sclerosis and prevent aging. In addition, the smoked plum has an extraordinary effect on strengthening the immune system, regulating the metabolism of fat, promoting the absorption of calcium and iron, and enhancing the vitality of the human body. So, it is not an exaggeration to call the smoked plum as “A natural green health-care food”.

5.9 Try shepherd’s purse and tofu decoction to relieve your eyes from autumn fatigue and dryness

All youngsters enjoy listening to pop songs and many of them often go to KTV. You may have noticed that many pop songs have something to do with eyes. Why? Because eyes are the window to the soul. Hence, eyes are often used to describe the purity of girls and handsomeness of boys.

A pair of spirited eyes can always enhance a person’s mental state. Many people use the word “watery” to describe human eyes. Indeed, if observing carefully, we will definitely find that there is watery liquid in the eye sockets, which is called “vital bodyfluid” in TCM.

Vital body-fluid is one of the basic substances constituting the human body and maintaining life activities.Vital body-fluid, mainly composed of water, contains a lot of nutrients which can moisten and nourish the human body. Our eyes can stay moistened and our eyeballs can move freelyall thanks to the lubricating effect of the vital bodyfluid in the eyes.

But when autumn arrives, the climate becomes dry. As the air lacks moisture, it will squeeze water from the human body, resulting in the loss of body fluid. As the vital body-fluid is depleted, eyes will lack moisture and nourishment, leading to symptoms of fatigue and dryness, especially after we use our eyes for a long time.

Here is a recommended dietectic therapy to lubricate eyes in autumn: shepherd’s purse and tofu decoction . Prepare 200 grams of tender tofu, 100 grams of shepherd's purse, 25 grams each of carrots, savory mushrooms, bamboo shoots and watery gluten.

1. Cut the tender tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, watery gluten into small cubes;

The specific instruction:

2. Remove unwanted parts of shepherd’s purse, then wash and mince it; 3.Wash carrots, blanch them in a pot of boiling water, then take them out, set aside to cool and cut them into small dices; 4.Turn on the fire, put a wok on the fire, wait until the oil in the wok is heated to 200-240°C, put the diced tofu, mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots, watery gluten and minced shepherd’s purse into the wok and stir fry quickly; 5. Add seasonings according to your taste and add some boiled purified water;

6.After the water is boiled again, slightly thicken it with wet starch and drizzle it with some sesame oil; 7. Dish up and serve on a soup bowl.

Tender tofu is of high nutritional value. Regular intake of tender tofu can tonify

Anecdotes about food-therapy middle and replenish Qi, clear inner-heat and moisten dryness, and promote fluid production to quench thirst. Shepherd’s purse has the effects of cooling blood and stopping bleeding, inducing diuresis and removing dampness, and clearing liver and improving vision. With the functions of tonifying liver and improving vision, clearing inner-heat and removing toxin, carrots have been historically used to treat night blindness . Savory mushroom is cold in property and slightly bitter in taste, with a promoting effect on liver and a replenishing effect on stomach. As stressed in a saying: “Liver is connected with eyes”.Eys can be bright only when the liver is relaxed. Bamboo shoot has been regarded as “A treasure of vegetables” in China since ancient times. It is rich in water with the functions of nourishing yin and cooling blood, nourishing liver and brightening vision, and promoting digestion.

This decoction is characterized by contrasting white and green, lovely fresh and tender taste. It not only has a pleasing look, but also has the effects of lubricating eyes to relieve visual fatigue and moisturizing the whole body to be protected from autumn dryness by regular consumption.

Besides, in daily life, people can eat more snow pears, grapes and other foods that have the function of nourishing yin and are rich in Vitamin A and vitamin E. People can also warm eyes with a hot towel before going to bed. It is a good way to help dilate blood vessels, promote blood circulation and alleviate dryness for eyes.