6 TCM Tips to ward off Winter illness

1. Winter wear
 
You’ve probably heard your Ayi or Chinese friends say to you, “你要多穿一点儿衣服!” It means, wear more clothes! Dr. Zhu agrees. “People often get [sick] in autumn because of the cold and dry weather,” she says. “To protect our health we need to change clothes appropriately as it gets colder.” So shake out your winter coat and unroll those wool socks earlier versus later.


2. Seasonal Soup

White fungus (yin’er, 银耳) soup is best to drink in the winter, Dr. Zhu says. “With the efficacy of nourishing yin and relieving internal heat … it is especially useful for people who have a cough and deficiency of Yin,” she adds. To make the soup, you’ll  need 20 grans of white fungus, 5 grams of tea leaves (any tea except for pu’er works well) and 20 grams of rock sugar. First, clean the fungus, then boil it in water with the sugar for about 10 minutes. Soak the tea leaves for five minutes and add the tea water into the pot. Stir and enjoy! You can also sweeten the soup with honey instead of rock sugar, but it should be added at the very end.

 
3. Eat Yin

With Beijing’s cold and arid weather acting like a one-two punch, “we need to have more foods that nourish Yin and relieve dryness,” says Dr. Zhu. She recommends pears, honey, almonds and lotus. To help the respiratory system (and stave off nasty coughs and colds), she suggests eating acidic foods like apples, lemons and grapefruits.

 
4. Spice sparingly

During the winter, people’s palates often lean toward spicy, hot things like Mala-Hotpot. But Dr. Zhu cautions against eating too much, as spicy and pungent food may cause you to shanghuo, a TCM condition often translated as “heatiness”. She recommends eating less pepper, ginger, chives and garlic.

 
5. Drink up

Another common saying among Chinese people who care about you: Drink more water! Dr. Zhu advises patients to ask for changwen shui, or warm water. “Cold water may hurt your stomach, just as hot water hurts your esophagus”, she says. “Drink more warm water in autumn and winter because of the dry air.”

 
6. Sweat less
It can be tempting to hibernate throughout the winter, staying under your electric blanket with a good book and glass of wine, but Dr. Zhu encourages patients to stay active. Her only caution is to avoid doing excessive exercise outside, as your sweat may cause you to become too cold. If you do, make sure you get yourself into dry, sweat-free clothes immediately after exercise.