Autumn: Five Tips for Strengthening Lung Health (and the Immune System)

*photo by Robert Zunikoff

Autumn is firmly established here in the Northern Hemisphere, the season of the harvest, a sort of ending or release of beauty and abundance before we transition into the dark of winter. 

Taoist cosmology, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that emerges from it, teach us that we cultivate and preserve health by continuously aligning ourselves with the cycles of nature as they evolve through the seasons. This principle is vividly expressed through Five Element Theory.

Five Element Theory offers a framework with which to observe the forces of water, fire, wood, earth and metal as they exist both in the natural world and within us (as we are an inextricable part of nature), and to detect imbalances among them in our bodies, minds and spirits. It also articulates a web of correspondences between each element and a particular taste, colour, organ system, and season of the year that allow us to harmonise with its specific energy.

*photo by Christina Rumpf

Autumn in Five Element Theory

The progressive slowing down of growth in autumn is understood to have an affinity with the metal element. In the TCM system, the qualities of balanced metal are apparent when we similarly are able to hone our focus and know a shining mental clarity (indeed, metal is associated with a clear or white colour). We also experience this in a sense of self-worth that lets us set healthy boundaries and structures for ourselves. 

The properties of the metal element also include an ability to bond with others, and the grief that comes from the loss (whether actual or anticipated) of those bonds. Indeed, there is much to grieve now, from the seasonal dying away of the natural world, to feeling those we have or could lose to the pandemic and to violence. 

The organs associated with autumn gives us a clue as to how we navigate that grief, and how we protect ourselves at this physically and emotionally vulnerable time of year. Our Lung-Large Intestine system, through the actions of inhalation and elimination, teach us that we don’t hold on to what we absorb. We feel it, use only what is vital, and release the rest.

Our Lungs are seen in TCM as being the “receivers of pure Qi (or lifeforce) from the Heavens”, in particular through our breath. Because this organ circulates the protective Wei Qi that fortifies us against external pathogens, we want to take special care of our lungs right now.

*photo by Trevor Cole

Five Tips for Strengthening Lung Health (and the immune system):

1. Breathe: deeply and intentionally (something not to be underestimated). Continue to check in with your breath throughout the day.

2. Keep Warm: incorporate warming spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, dill, rosemary and thyme into your meals. Always wrap a scarf around your neck when outside.

3. Moisten Your Lungs: dryness is the “Thief of Lung Qi” and is exacerbated in the autumn.  Healthy oils and fats (organic coconut, olive, sesame or ghee, a little good quality yoghurt) avocado, nuts and seeds, sweet pumpkins, apples and squash, help build the fluids in our bodies. Warm, slowly cooked stews, bone or mushroom broths, and porridges deeply nourish and hydrate us.

Pears have a particular affinity with the lungs - core, chop and simmer a pear in water for 15 minutes; the resulting tea is excellent for soothing dry breathing. Similarly, simmering burdock, ginger or licorice root into a tea is an effective support for our lungs.

4. Avoid Excess Dampness: we want to add moisture through our foods without going so far as to create extra mucus or congestion. This means moderation with nuts and seeds, and eliminating refined flours and sugar, conventionally-produced dairy, and cold meals and drinks.

5. Eat Pungent Foods: the pungent flavour stimulates lung Qi, and is found in foods such as radishes, turnips, fennel, onions, leeks, mustard greens, and ginger. Below, we offer a recipe for an autumn stew that celebrates some of these vegetables of the season.

*photo by Geronimo Giqueaux

Finding harmony with the energy of autumn means that we use its available medicines for healing. We let the pungent taste clear us of emotional and physical stagnation. We breathe and remember that each new moment is an opportunity for a different choice in how we will respond to the experiences of our lives. We come to be energised by challenge instead of being overwhelmed by it, and we gather together our will and resources and prioritise our health in preparation for the winter that lies ahead.

*photo by Dexter McQueen

Food as Medicine Recipe for Autumn:

Ragout of Autumn Vegetables in Miso Broth

1 Tbsp sesame oil (not toasted oil)

6 cups water

1 leek, sliced 1/4” thick   

1 carrot, diagonal cut   

1/4 buttercup or kabocha squash, sliced 1/4” thick 

1/2 fennel, sliced 1/4” thick

1/2 lotus root, cut into rounds

3 Tbsp barley miso   

3 Tbsp mellow yellow miso

1 tsp ginger juice

1/2 bunch watercress sprigs           

Heat sesame oil in a stew pot. Add leek, carrot, squash, fennel, and lotus root and sauté until translucent. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer until all vegetables are tender. With a strainer placed into the broth, stir in the miso with a wooden spoon until dissolved, season with ginger juice, and garnish with watercress. Enjoy!