Welcome to White Dew, the third solar term of Autumn. During this period of time, the weather starts getting cooler and there’s a bigger temperature difference between the mornings and nights. This is the turning point of Autumn when the temperature shifts from hot to cold. Therefore, now is a good time to start taking out your Autumn wardrobe and wearing layers so you can be prepared for the unpredictable changes in temperature.
In TCM, the corresponding organ to Autumn is the Lung, which governs Qi. Cold, Dryness, and Wind can easily damage the Lung, so it is important to nourish the Lung during Autumn in order to boost the immune system, which can aid in preventing getting inflicted with a cold during the season.
How to Maintain -- Strengthen the Lung Meridian
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| https://www.natural-health-zone.com/lung-meridian.html |
During this season where the weather is full of unpredictable changes, these sudden shifts can easily irritate the lungs. In addition to keeping warm during Autumn, it is also important to take good care of our Lung Meridian to fortify and prevent against colds, respiratory system and allergic diseases
The Lung Meridian originates from the Middle Burner (of the Triple Burner) and runs down to connect with the large intestine. It then ascends to the stomach, passes the diaphragm and enters the lung. From there, it ascends to the throat and then emerges at the armpit area, descending along the medial aspect of the arm, ending at the medial side of the tip of the thumb.
The Lung likes to stay in a moist environment and can’t really tolerate dryness, therefore, it is imperative to stay hydrated and practice deep breathing exercises to keep the Lung moist and strong. Lightly hitting along the inner side of the arm can stimulate the meridians (Lung, Pericardium, and Heart) to help boost Qi and Blood circulation.
Diet
With the temperature cooling down, we can start to moderately include some slightly spicy and warming ingredients into our diet to help get rid of cold and boost the immune system. For example, green onions, ginger, garlic are some spices that can be incorporated into the cooking. Fruits and vegetables that nourish Yin energy and moisten the dryness includes: white fungus, sesame, Chinese yam, okra, soybean, apple, pear, grape, persimmon, longan, etc.
For tea, you can mix and match Ophiopogon japonicus (mai meng dong), chrysanthemum, astragalus root (huang qi), goji berry, jujube, etc. Drinking honey water alone is also a good choice, but try to keep in mind the amount of sugar intake.
Despite the cooling weather, it is still suggested to be best to avoid overly spicy, salty, oily, and cold foods.
**Simple Cooking - Braised Cabbage**
- Wash all vegetables. Cut Chinese cabbage into pieces, black fungus into thin strips, shiitake mushrooms and carrots into strips, cut shallots and coriander into sections, and chop garlic into slices.
**If you use dry ingredients, such as dried shiitake mushrooms and dried fungus, soak them in water to soften them - First mix corn flour with 50ml of cold boiling water for later use.
- Heat garlic, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, shallots, and dried prawns in a pan over medium heat and cook them until they are fragrant. Add pork shreds. After the pork shreds have changed color, add white pepper and mix well, then add black fungus and Chinese cabbage to the pan.
- Stir fry slightly, add water and soy sauce when the cabbage is a bit transparent, cover the pot and start simmering for about 20 minutes
- Open the lid and add corn flour water to thicken. After it has a thick feeling, add black vinegar and coriander to increase the fragrance (if you don't like coriander, you can use sesame oil instead).
Lifestyle
The Autumn breeze dries up the moisture in the air as the temperature cools down, therefore the climate during this season is known as “autumn dryness”. As mentioned earlier, the Lung dislikes dryness, so remember to continue drinking enough water to keep the body hydrated. Having a morning cup of coffee or tea may be a habit of many. However, if possible, it is recommended to start the day with a cup of warm water prior to drinking any coffees or teas to promote better metabolism as well as keeping the body hydrated. This can jump-start and set the pace for your body for the rest of the day.
Due to the wildfires occurring now in certain areas bringing down the air quality, it is suggested to stay indoors or avoid being exposed to any possible pollutants or debris especially if you have any pre-existing conditions such as asthma, seasonal allergies, COPD, etc. If you have a diffuser or air purifier, this is a good time to put them to use!
With the majority of us working from home during this pandemic, setting out a time for exercise becomes even more critical. Exercising can not only promote better Qi and Blood circulation which can help keep the body warm from within, it can also relieve stress and tension.
Essential Oil Blend -- Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian
Sweet orange (8 drops)
Neroli (2 drops)
Petitgrain (2 drops)
Cold-pressed lime (3 drops)
White Champak (3 drops)
White champak leaves (12 drops)
Frankincense (6 drops)
Cold-pressed sesame oil (30ml)
Sea buckthorn oil (1 drop)
This blend is a great choice to be used for diffusing during the White Dew and Autumn period, for it specifically targets the Lung and can overall strengthen the Heart and Lung function.
Putting a few drops into a cup of hot water and slowly inhaling is a quick and easy method.
Apply the essential oil blend along the Lung Meridian and massage. The corresponding 2 hour interval for the Lung Meridian is between 3~5am, so if you are an earlier riser, that’s a great time to stimulate it. If that’s too early, you can also massage between 5~7am or 3~5pm.
Overall, Autumn is the season to nourish the Lung, especially starting with this solar term where the temperature starts to have more changes. Therefore, let's start strengthening our lungs this season~
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Once again I would like to thank Yu Wei Huang L.Ac for designing the character for White Dew (Bai Lu) 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. *******************************************************************
到了白露這個節氣，代表著天氣要開始轉涼。大家要記得將秋天的衣服拿出來穿，覺得冷的時候多加件衣物。秋天是屬於肺的季節、肺又主氣。而寒邪、燥邪、風邪容易損傷肺部。因此在秋天的時候，好好補養肺氣，就能提高我們的免疫力，也就不容易感冒囉。
白露的養生重點：養肺潤燥
可以吃／喝什麼？
氣溫開始漸漸降低，因此我們可以適量補充一些辛溫的食材來袪寒、提升免疫力。例如添加青蔥、薑以及大蒜等辛香料作為配菜或是拿來燒湯。令外滋陰潤燥的蔬果，像是白木耳、芝麻、山藥、秋葵、黃豆、蘋果、水梨、葡萄、柿子、龍眼等。茶飲搭配麥門冬、菊花、黃耆、枸杞、大棗等。單喝蜂蜜水也是很好的選擇，但是糖分不要攝取過量。
禁忌：太辣、重鹹油膩以及生冷的食品
節氣食譜－家鄉白菜滷（4人份） 材料： 大白菜 半顆 黑木耳 2朵 香菇 4朵 紅蘿蔔 1/3支 豬肉絲 80克 乾蝦／魚乾／干貝 10－15克 青蔥 2根 蒜 2－3瓣 香菜 適量 白胡椒粉 適量 醬油 3大匙 黑醋 1大匙 玉米粉 1小匙 水 約350毫升
將所有蔬菜洗淨後進行處理：大白菜切塊，黑木耳、香菇及紅蘿蔔切絲，青蔥和香菜切段，蒜切碎 若是使用乾料，如乾香菇、木耳乾要先泡水將其泡軟；玉米粉先與50毫升冷開水攪拌均勻備用；乾蝦和魚乾可擇一選用，或是另外使用干貝來提鮮 中火熱油鍋將蒜、紅蘿蔔、香菇、青蔥、乾蝦下鍋炒出香味後，加入豬肉絲，待豬肉絲稍微變色後加入白胡椒粉拌勻，再將黑木耳和大白菜一起下鍋稍微拌炒，炒至白菜有點透明時加入水和醬油，蓋上鍋蓋開始悶煮約20分鐘 開鍋蓋加入玉米粉水勾芡，待有濃稠感後加入黑醋及香菜提香（若不愛香菜可用香油代替），如果不夠鹹再加入些許鹽調味，最後轉小火煮約5分鐘後即可上桌 素食者可將乾蝦拿掉，用腐皮代替豬肉絲
生活習慣
在家工作的期間，大家的活動量都變少，所以抽時間出來做運動變得更加重要！適量的運動可以提升氣血循環，也比較不容易覺得冷，更可以釋放壓力。另外大家可能都習慣起床一杯咖啡，如果能先喝一小杯開水更可以幫助身體代謝，補充身體的水分，之後再喝咖啡或是茶等早餐。
如何保養身體？強健肺經
在這個季節因為天氣的變化，容易刺激支氣管。除了保暖以外，好好保健我們的肺經可以預防感冒、呼吸系統以及過敏性的疾病喔！
肺經起於腹部（中焦），並往下與大腸相聯，再繞還於胃口，穿過橫隔膜到達肺部，接著從腋下橫出，向下沿著手臂內側，經過肘窩至腕部，並走在橈動脈血管之上，從魚際到達大拇指的末端；另一支脈從腕後分出，至食指尖，接大腸經。
在平時可以輕輕拍打或是按摩手臂內側可以刺激通過的經脈（肺經、心包經、心經）來增強氣血的循環喔。
精油配方－手太陰肺經
甜橙 (8 滴)
橙花 (2 滴)
苦橙葉 (2 滴)
冷壓萊姆 (3 滴)
白玉蘭花 (3 滴)
白玉蘭葉 (12 滴)
東非乳香 (6滴)
冷壓芝麻油 (30ml)
沙棘油 (1 滴)
將本配方滴入熱水中，緩緩吸入熱水蒸氣是個簡單又有效的方法。
或是用來按摩肺經。和肺經對應的時間為上午3~5點，如果沒有這麼早起床的話，也可以在上午5~7點或是下午3~5點間進行按摩。
秋季是健肺、養肺經的時候， 所以大家要好好把握這個機會喔～
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非常感謝中醫師黃昱瑋所提供有關【白露】時期的養生方法還有可愛的插畫。
*這次的插圖是採集柚子。 聽說白露後的柚子特別好吃喔！
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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