TCM recommends four medicinal foods to moisten the lungs and relieve coughs this autumn.

In autumn, the temperature can vary vastly between morning and night, and the drier air can often hurt the lungs, resulting in a dry cough. Worse, it may even aggravate dormant health conditions. Cough due to dryness often appears as a persistent dry cough with no or little phlegm, accompanied by difficulty spitting it out. Sometimes, the phlegm can even be blood-streaked. Other symptoms, such as dry mouth, sore throat, itchy throat, and hoarseness, may also be present.

So how can we stave off these symptoms and nourish the lungs through diet and medicinal foods before heading into winter?

Lung-Nourishing Foods

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the lungs are delicate organs that like moisture but hate dryness. Therefore, your diet in autumn should focus on nourishing yin and adding moisture. This means eating foods that benefit the lungs and promote body fluids, such as white fungus, pear, lily, lotus root, water chestnut, sesame, honey, and persimmon.