Autumn has to be my favourite season -the cooler, crisp air and the sunset of falling leaves. It is the season in which we transition from the yang of summer, to the yin of winter.
In Chinese Medicine, Autumn is associated with the element Metal and grief is the associated emotion. The metal organs within the body are the Lungs and Large Intestine. Both these organs are associated with elimination of wastes and toxins from our body – and so is the energy of Autumn. It is time to take what we need from the harvest and allow old growth to fall away and settle into the soil, to conserve moisture and providing nutrients for the next cycle. Autumn is the perfect time to eliminate what we don’t need from our lives. To get rid of unwanted patterns of behaviour and strip back to only what is beneficial in moving forward.
Our lungs control our Wei Qi, which circulates just under the surface of our skin and can be likened to our immune system. The lung qi also transports fluids to nourish the skin, and is expressed in our nose and throat. Autumn is a time of dryness so people often suffer from dry/itchy skin conditions, dry cough, sore throats, sinus congestion, colds and flu. Dryness can also affect the large intestine causing constipation.
In Autumn we should alter our diet to nourish yin and support the production of body fluids. We should move away from the cold, raw Summer foods and replace them with warm, cooked foods such as porridge, soups, steamed vegetables and poached fruit. Increasing fluid intake is also important, and reduce pungent foods such as onions and garlic.
Foods to nourish yin ~ increase these over Autumn:
Fruit and Vegetables: Pears, pumpkin, grapes, apples, avocado, apricot, banana, beetroot, asparagus, cabbage, artichoke, kelp, water chestnut, cucumber, potato, yam, mango, watermelon, tomato.
Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, chestnuts, black and white sesame seeds, pine nuts, linseed, coconut.
Dairy: Cheese, duck and chicken eggs, milk.
Seafood: Oyster, crab, abalone, octopus.
Grains: Spelt and Barley.
Beans: Kidney beans, adzuki, black beans, tofu, mung beans, lima beans.
Meat: Beef, duck, pork, rabbit, bone broths.
Other: Honey and royal jelly.
- Pictured is an Autumn pumpkin soup with a home-made spelt roll. Yum!
