Though it’s considered the First Day of Autumn on the Gregorian calendar (the ones we use most commonly now in our everyday lives), Autumn Equinox marks the halfway of Autumn on the Lunar calendar. The Autumn Equinox splits the 90 days of Autumn in half (45 days into each half) as well as the day and night into half (12 hours each). From then onward, nighttime will begin to grow longer while the day time shortens. The temperature will also display a more dramatic change between the morning and night while the weather will also become more unstable during this time period. Thus, it’s a good time to start taking out those scarves and trench coats stored in the back of your closet if you haven’t already.
How to Maintain -- Taking care of the Lung
As mentioned since the beginning of the first Autumn solar term, the Lung correlates with Autumn and it governs the skin. Therefore, during the whole Autumn season, it is important to take good care of the Lung and protect the skin.
Some ways to do so include: starting with the small, simple steps like staying hydrated and doing breathing exercises. Be sure to protect your skin from the cold exterior by dressing appropriately. Keep in mind that your mood and emotions can greatly affect your health, therefore, it’s imperative to stay positive and have a joyful heart.
The massages and blends we’ve discussed in the last three solar terms for Autumn are good to continue throughout the whole season, especially the Lung Meridian massage.
Diet
The weather after the Autumn Equinox switches from “hot and dry” into “cool and dry”. Overall, one must still need to tend to and pay attention to the “dry” aspect. Therefore, one can continue to consume foods that are gelatinous and high in water content such as mushrooms, okra, yam, kelp, sesame, walnut, black wood ear, radish, etc. As for fruits, you can pick those that are slightly sour, such as those in the citrus family due its ability of containing the Yin and producing Fluid for the body.
Burdock tea is known for its benefits of calming and lowering blood glucose as well as blood cholesterol. It is recommended to be consumed while it is warm/hot in the morning or after meals.
Rock sugar winter pear is a simple and delicious dessert to make during Autumn with good benefits for the Lungs that have been well recorded. First, remove the core of the pear and add rock sugar and fritillaria cirrhosa (yellow Himalayan fritillary) into the center. The amount added can be based on your personal preference and taste. Next, steam or cook for about 20 minutes or when you see the pear become transparent. Finally, enjoy!
During this time period, it is still recommended to avoid overly spicy, salty, and oily/greasy foods. The same applies with cold and raw foods.
**Simple Cooking** -- Pomelo Salad
Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce
Celery
Cherry tomato
Cucumber
Baby corn
Chicken breast or shrimp
Honey
Sugar Free Yogurt
Pomelo meat
The ratio of the above materials can be adjusted according to personal preference.
- Wash the used vegetables first and cut them into appropriate bite sizes; it is recommended to blanch the vegetables other than the radish lettuce with hot water so they can be enjoyed more safely!
- The chicken breast is to be torn into ribbons after being cooked. If you decide to use or add shrimp, the shrimp is cooked and shelled for later use. (You can choose chicken breast or shrimp as the protein but can also use both. If you are vegetarian, you can add nuts instead, such as cashews or almonds.)
- For the sauce, mix sugar-free yogurt with honey. The ratio of sweet to tangy can also be adjusted according to your own personal preferences.
- Stir and mix the processed vegetables and meat evenly.
- Drizzle with the honey yogurt sauce prepared and sprinkle with peeled grapefruit meat to garnish and add some fruity flavor.
- Finally, the refreshing grapefruit salad is complete~
*If you are taking western medicine or traditional Chinese medications, it is recommended that you avoid or eat less grapefruit or citrus fruits to avoid any interactions between the medication and the fruit. Make sure to check with your provider to avoid harming your health.
Lifestyle
For those who're afraid of the heat but want to exercise, this is a good time to start since the temperature is starting to cool down. However, make sure to properly warm up and cool down before and after exercising to avoid sports injuries. Remember to bring a towel and light jacket to dry off and wear after exercising to avoid catching a cold.
In addition to maintaining good exercise habits, the Autumn time period also starts a shift in the environment. Everything starts entering a state of gathering and turning inward in response to the natural changes in autumn which can easily affect an individual’s emotions. Therefore, one must also pay close attention to conditioning our spirit and emotions to obtain a balance between the physical and emotional to stay healthy and to prevent from getting sick easily.
Essential Oil Blend
Skin care blend
Roman chamomile (1 drop)
German chamomile (1 drop)
Manuka (2 drops)
Mint (1 drop)
Permanent flower (1 drop)
Cistus (1 drop)
Highland Lavender (3 drops)
Soaked calendula (marygold) oil (10ml)
Sea buckthorn oil (1 drop)
*Apply this blend directly to the itchy areas. Massage slowly until fully absorbed. Can be used multiple times a day until symptoms are relieved
Aromatherapy blend
Osmanthus (3 drops)
Bergamot (10 drops)
Lime (10 drops)
Tangerine (3 drops)
Orange leaves (1 drop)
Sweet orange (20 drops)
Patchouli (2 drops)
Juniper Berries (3 drops)
*This blend is great for diffusing through a diffuser or any sort of diffuser jewelries.
*For an uplifting aroma, can try doTERRA’s Citrus Bliss blend as well.
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Once again I would like to thank Yu Wei Huang L.Ac for designing the character for Qiu Fen and providing all of the great suggestions for this time period.
The essential oil blends are based off of the book "Four Seasons of Aromatherapy" by Elizabeth S.
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到了秋分就知道秋天已經過了一半囉！秋分過後日照時間會變短而夜晚的時間則越來越長。在這個節氣要注意的是早晚氣溫變化大，天氣也不穩定，因此要特別小心，不要著涼了。
秋分的養生重點：潤燥生津，滋陰養肺
可以吃／喝什麼？
秋分時天氣從熱燥轉變為涼燥，在飲食上一樣可多攝取含有膠質以及富含水分的食物例如菌菇類、秋葵、山藥、海帶、芝麻、核桃、木耳、蘿蔔等，水果可挑選些帶有酸味的柑橘類，也有斂陰生津的效果。早晨或是飯後可搭配一杯溫熱的牛蒡茶；另外冰糖雪梨也是非常適合在秋天時食用的甜品，做法可將梨子中間的芯挖去，放入稍許冰糖和川貝一起燉煮就完成囉。
禁忌：辛辣、重鹹油膩以及生冷的食品
**節氣食譜** -- 柚子沙拉
材料：
羅蔓萵苣
芹菜
小番茄
小黃瓜
玉米筍
雞胸肉或蝦子
蜂蜜
無糖優格
柚子肉
以上材料比例皆可依照個人喜好調整。先將使用到的蔬菜洗淨，切成適當大小；除了蘿蔓萵苣以外的蔬菜建議用熱水燙過一遍，食用起來更安心喔！
雞胸肉煮熟後撕成絲狀或是蝦子煮熟後去殼備用。（肉類選擇可用雞胸肉或是蝦子，想兩種都用也可以。如果吃素可以將雞胸肉或是蝦子去除不用，改加入堅果，例如腰果或是杏仁。）
醬料的部分我們搭配的是無糖優格拌入蜂蜜，酸甜度比例也可以依照個人喜好調製。
將處理好的蔬菜和肉類攪拌均勻，淋上蜂蜜優格醬，最後撒上剝好的柚子肉點綴，清爽的柚子沙拉就完成囉～
*若正服用西藥或是中藥，需少吃柚子或是柑橘類的水果，避免產生交互作用對身體健康造成危害。
生活習慣
秋季氣溫相對夏季時涼爽，如果想多鍛鍊身體可是又怕熱的話，現在是最好的運動時機。運動前後也要特別注意暖身動作及緩和動作，避免運動傷害。除了維持良好的運動習慣之外，由於秋天萬物因應自然變化進入收引的狀態，人的情緒容易受到環境影響，因此也要注重調養精神以及情緒，身心平衡就不容易生病。
如何保養身體？
在秋季的第一個節氣我們就有提到從中醫的角度來說， 它對應的臟腑是肺， 也就是說這個時候要多養肺。 除了上面所介紹的飲食和生活習慣以外， 就是要多做護膚（因為肺主管皮毛， 而且天氣乾燥， 所以皮膚比較容易乾燥，過敏， 發癢等）。 保持愉快的心情和多做深呼吸是很重要的。
芳療－經油按摩及護膚
精油配方
桂花 (3 滴)
佛手柑 (10 滴)
萊姆 (10 滴)
紅橘 (3 滴)
橘葉 (1 滴)
甜橙 (20 滴)
廣藿香 (2滴)
杜松漿果 (3滴)
*這個配方可以和乳液或是按摩油搭配來保養肌膚， 也可以滴入擴香儀器或飾品中來提升心氣。
*我個人也很推薦用多特瑞的柑橘清新複方精油
護膚精油配方
羅馬洋甘菊 (1 滴)
德國洋甘菊 (1 滴)
松紅梅 (2 滴)
薄荷 (1 滴)
永久花 (1 滴)
岩玫瑰 (1 滴)
高地薰衣草 (3滴)
金盞菊浸泡油 (10ml)
沙棘油 (1 滴)
*可以直接塗抹在癢的部位。 慢慢按摩到完全吸收為止。 一天中可以多次使用至症狀緩解。
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非常感謝中醫師黃昱瑋所提供有關【秋分】時期的養生方法還有可愛的插畫。
精油配方是來自沈莉莎的24節氣經絡芳療自療全書
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