Recently, many readers have left messages asking if there are any ways to relieve “autumn dryness”.
Every time I see similar messages, I always feel at a loss for where to start. Although it is simply referred to as “autumn dryness”, it encompasses many layers of issues. From the perspective of cold and heat, there are differences between warm dryness and cool dryness; from the location of the disease, we need to understand the different methods of treating “upper dryness with Qi, middle dryness with fluid, and lower dryness with blood”; and from the symptoms, there are many variations, such as nasal dryness, respiratory discomfort, chapped lips, snoring while sleeping, dry throat and mouth, drinking without relief, persistent dry cough; skin lacking moisture, dry and itchy skin, and intestinal fluid deficiency leading to difficult bowel movements, among other symptoms.
Therefore, wanting to “relieve autumn dryness” is not something that can be solved with just a cup of warm water, two bowls of pear soup, or a few words. However, since everyone is very interested in autumn dryness, let’s discuss related topics and see what small methods for “preventing and moistening dryness” can be applied in daily life.
What is Autumn Dryness?
To prevent dryness, we must first understand what autumn dryness is. The shift of Yin and Yang, the changes in cold and heat, and the climatic changes in nature all follow certain rules and limits. Wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire represent six types of climatic changes in nature, which we refer to as the “Six Qi”. When the Six Qi operate naturally, they nourish the growth of all things. However, when the Six Qi are excessive or insufficient, abnormal climatic changes occur, which can easily affect our health. Such “excessive or insufficient Six Qi” are referred to as “Six Evils” or “Six Pathogens”, commonly known as wind evil, cold evil, heat evil, damp evil, dryness evil, and fire evil.
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The warmth and coolness of dryness evil are greatly related to the seasons and individual constitution. Warm dryness, which contains heat, is more common in early autumn when the climate is still warm; cool dryness, which contains cold, is more prevalent in late autumn when the climate is cold. Individuals with a deficiency of Yin fluids or those with excessive fire are more susceptible to warm dryness. Dryness is pervasive in autumn, and those with insufficient body fluids, Yin blood deficiency, and Spleen-Lung Qi deficiency are easily affected by “dryness evil”, leading to symptoms such as dry and flaky skin, flushed cheeks, nasal dryness, dry lips, dry eyes, headaches, sore throats, itchy dry coughs, heat in the palms and soles, dry stools, irritability, and recurrent allergic issues. Therefore, to eliminate the influence of these “pathogens” on the body, we need to take a dual approach: change our previous lifestyle habits and replenish the “Qi, blood, and body fluids” that the body needs. Thus, the autumn dryness discussed here refers more to warm dryness.
What are some effective methods to “relieve autumn dryness”?
1. Adapt to the situation and prevent problems before they arise
“Wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire” all belong to the Six Evils, each with its own characteristics and abilities. Wind evil is “impatient” and can make us feel uncomfortable when it acts up, so on windy days, we instinctively wear hats to avoid wind and cold; damp evil is “hidden and elusive”, but when it strikes, it can cause harm, so we often take precautions against it by drinking tangerine peel soup, adzuki bean soup, changing to dry and cool bedding, and using moxibustion or formulas like Ren Shen Bai Zhu San to strengthen the Spleen and dispel dampness… However, the impact of the Six Evils on the body is the same, yet our protective attitudes towards them differ greatly. Dryness evil is like a “quiet child” at home; it doesn’t make noise but silently depletes our “body fluids, essence, and Yang Qi”. Day by day, year by year, during the fluctuating temperatures of late autumn, by the time we notice it, our bodies are already like cracked soil covered in fissures.
Therefore, we must pay attention to the changes in the seasons and understand the “rise and fall of natural Qi”, then adapt accordingly, like in “Tai Chi”, to balance the “Qi, blood, and body fluids” that our bodies need. For example, using a fan in summer, a heater in winter, and a humidifier and moisturizer in autumn are steps that we often overlook. Then, dietary adjustments come into play. I have previously discussed why people from all over the world choose to “nourish after autumn”; on one hand, it is because the body has consumed a lot of “body fluids” during the hot summer and is in a “relatively deficient” state, and on the other hand, it is to store enough energy for the upcoming winter. Thus, autumn is a time for nourishment, and it should be gentle and moistening.
Jade Treasure Congee: Job’s tears (Yi Yi Ren), Chinese yam (Shan Yao), cooked until soft, then add chopped persimmons or persimmon paste.
——《医学衷中参西录》
Five Juice Drink: Pear, water chestnut, reed root (fresh is better), Ophiopogon (Mai Dong), lotus root, boiled into juice and consumed in the evening.
——《温病条辨》
In summer, drink plenty of water; in autumn, consume warm and moistening congee, drinks, soups, and teas, such as Zhang Xichun’s Spleen-nourishing and Lung-moistening “Jade Treasure Congee”, fluid-generating and dryness-relieving “Five Juice Drink”, and soups made with kelp, Chinese yam, lotus root, radish, and winter melon are suitable for most people.
If you experience severe dry mouth and thirst, and still feel “dry tongue and discomfort” after drinking, often accompanied by acid reflux and poor appetite, you can choose some Dendrobium (Shi Hu) as a tea substitute. This herb is unique; it grows on high mountain cliffs, nourished by the essence of water and stone, and has a natural “cooling and moistening” quality. It is sweet and yellow in color, good at “drawing out the Qi of the Middle Earth to nourish the Spleen”, thus, the Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic praises it for “nourishing the five organs, alleviating weakness and emaciation, strengthening Yin, and enriching the intestines and stomach”, making it suitable for those with insufficient body fluids and internal heat.
◎Eight-year-old hand-drawn
When it comes to autumn dryness cough and throat discomfort, many people think of autumn pear syrup, Ophiopogon, Fritillaria, and loquat, which is correct, but they are more suitable for “clearing the lungs and stopping cough”. If we talk about the innate ability to “generate fluids and moisten dryness”, then Yuzhu (Yuzhu) is even more powerful. Yuzhu is sweet in flavor, slightly cold, and enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. It has the ability to nourish Yin, moisten dryness, and generate fluids to quench thirst, making it a sweet, cold, and moistening tonic. The New Compilation of Materia Medica states: “It is pure in nature, nourishes deficiency heat, and resolves damp toxins. It is suitable for those with deficiency and wind-dampness.” Moreover, Yuzhu has no special taste, and in autumn, making a bowl of Yuzhu and lean meat soup or a drink of Sha Shen and Yuzhu is a great choice, even consuming Yuzhu alone daily is beneficial, but it has a drawback: “its effects are gradual and cannot provide immediate relief; it must be taken over time to be effective.”
These are methods suitable for individuals with a relatively balanced constitution to moisten dryness in autumn. Next, let’s briefly discuss how those with Yin deficiency and blood deficiency can strengthen their prevention.
2. Hydrate our emotions
It is said that autumn has four defenses: autumn chill, autumn fatigue, autumn dryness, and autumn depression, and autumn dryness and autumn depression are closely related. The organs responsible for emotional regulation are mainly the heart and liver.
Sweet Wheat and Jujube Soup: Roasted licorice 9g, wheat 30g, 10 jujubes (broken).
Bulbous Lily and Rehmannia Soup: 7 bulbs of lily, 25g of raw Rehmannia (Sheng Di Huang).
The liver is the general’s organ, where strategies are devised. When the liver Qi is smooth, we exhibit agility, decisiveness, and the ability to think deeply and rationally, like a general full of “yang energy”. However, the general also has his temper; the liver Qi and liver Yang are often in excess, while liver Yin and liver blood may be relatively deficient; and the autumn season, with its harshness and dryness, can exacerbate the consumption of Yin blood. The heart is the sovereign’s organ, where the spirit resides. Our joys, sorrows, overthinking, and worries are all related to the heart. When the heart Qi is deficient, we feel sad, while in reality, we cannot stop laughing, and the physiological functions of the heart are closely related to the nourishment of heart blood.
So, are there any methods to nourish the heart and soothe the liver at this time?
The medical sage Zhang Zhongjing has already provided us with the adjustment methods. If you are currently experiencing: restless sleep at night, prone to overthinking, and palpitations, you can drink some Bulbous Lily and Rehmannia Soup and Sweet Wheat and Jujube Soup during this season. The distinction between these two formulas is simple: if you get agitated easily and feel that crying will make you feel better, with a pale tongue, that is “Sweet Wheat and Jujube Soup”; if you tend to overthink, get angry easily, are taciturn, and have a red tongue, that is “Bulbous Lily and Rehmannia Soup”.
3. How to moisten the “dryness” of the body’s orifices?
I suspect that a large part of what friends refer to as “autumn dryness” is expressing their helplessness regarding dry, flaky, itchy, and painful skin in late autumn. In fact, our body is like a constantly running machine that requires regular “oil” maintenance, and the skin is no exception. Yet we often neglect it until liver and kidney deficiency leads to “cracked” and painful skin, at which point we realize we need to “mend the fold after the sheep are lost”. So, what can we do at this time?
Moistening agent “Sou Feng Shun Qi Wan (currently has a homonymous Chinese patent medicine)” is one option. This formula comes from the Taiping Shenghui Fang and consists of Yuli Ren, hemp seed, Chinese yam, and Plantago seeds, which nourish the liver and kidneys, moisten dryness, and promote bowel movements. It is commonly used to treat the “white leprosy” condition caused by blood not nourishing the skin. The Great Compendium of Surgery states: “White leprosy is characterized by skin like rashes, white and itchy, scratching leads to white scales, commonly known as snake lice, caused by wind evil invading the skin, and blood dryness failing to nourish it.”
◎Image authorized by Zitu Books
Therefore, if the skin experiences dryness, itching, flaking, and pain this season, or if scratching leads to red rashes and blood streaks, and if you usually have difficulty with dry stools, this formula can moisten dryness; similar thoughts apply to nasal dryness and snoring after autumn, which can be treated with Pi Wan to nourish blood and calm the spirit; for dry eyes, especially those that tear in the wind, you can use Ming Mu Di Huang Wan, and daily adjustments with goji berries and mulberry seeds are also beneficial; after daily foot baths, you can also massage the San Yin Jiao, Xue Hai, Tai Xi, and Xing Jian acupuncture points for 2-3 minutes each, which is also a method to dispel wind, soothe the liver, and nourish blood.
To make a piece of land barren, one only needs to remove the plants that can protect against wind and retain water, but to make already compacted soil fertile again, it cannot be done with just a pot of water or a single tree.
Our health is the same; moistening dryness requires time, nourishment, and integrating the ideas of “generating fluids” and “nourishing blood” into every aspect of daily life. Well, that concludes today’s article; see you next time.
— THE END —
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