We are into the Qiu Fen (秋分) solar term (节气) starting from 22 September to 7 October 2024. Qiu Fen is the 16th solar term out of the entire 24.
In Chinese, ‘fen’ (分) means divide. So the Qiu Fen (秋分) solar term basically separates the first half and the second half of the Autumn season. This means after 22 September, we will enter the second half of Autumn.
After Qiu Fen, the days will gradually grow shorter while the nights become longer. Temperatures will also get cooler as we step into the second half of Autumn.
As the air becomes cooler and drier during Qiu Fen, more people may experience coughing as the lungs get easily irritated by the dry air.
We will need to keep our lungs moisturized (润肺) by eating foods such as white fungus, pear, etc. Following are some diet recommendations that you can follow during this Qiu Fen solar term:
Diet Recommendation
One of the traditions during Qiu Fen is to eat yam biscuits. That said, you don’t really need to go out and find yam biscuits. Just consider adding yam into your diet will be sufficient.
Yam is a nutritional food that most people can eat safely. It has a neutral thermal nature, which means people who have heaty or cold body constitution can consume it without worries.
The most significant property of yam is that it helps to strengthen our spleen. This is important during Qiu Fen because when people consume cold or raw stuff, these foods can weaken the spleen. Apart from strengthening the spleen, yam can also aid digestion and relieve constipation.
Do make sure that you cook the yam thoroughly to remove its allergens. A simple way to include yam into your diet is to add chopped pieces of yam into your rice cooker and cook it with your favorite grains or brown rice.
In Qiu Fen, the environment will be cool and dry (凉燥). Hence, we need to consume foods that have warm and moisturizing properties, such as black sesame, walnut, lotus root, pear, hawthorn, apple, lily (百合), and white fungus.
A good habit during Qiu Fen is to drink lightly salted water in the morning and take some honey at night. But do take note for people who already have sticky stools, you need to avoid taking honey as it will worsen the situation. For people with constipation, honey is a good supplement to take in the evening.
A note of caution is that during the later part of Qiu Fen, the temperature will get cooler and people with weak spleen may experience diarrhea or loose and sticky stools at times. It is best to avoid cold drinks and foods during the Qiu Fen solar term as it can cause stomach upset in people with weak spleen. You can consider eating chinese yam or si shen soup to strengthen your spleen.
An Easy-To-Prepare Fruit Salad
During Qiu Fen, some elderly people may find their constipation worsening. If so, the following is an easy-to-prepare fruit salad that can help to relieve constipation during this period:
Ingredients:
- Banana 100g
- Apple 100g
- Mulberry 50g
Steps:
De-skin the banana and apple and cut it to small pieces. Wash and rinse the mulberries then mix them together with the apple and banana.
Banana has a strong property of relieving constipation. It can also moisturize and cool the lungs.
Apple can increase the movement of the intestines and help to relieve constipation too.
Mulberries have been known as a great fruit to nourish the Yin energy in our body, and Qiu Fen is a great time for Yin nourishment.
Important notes: Be sure to choose fully ripened bananas because bananas that are not fully ripe will promote constipation rather than relieve it! Also, apple skin has an ingredient that can stop diarrhea, hence if you are consuming apples for constipation relief, do remove the skin before eating it.
General Well-Being Recommendation
Exercising during the Qiu Fen solar term is beneficial for building up your body’s immunity against flu and sinusitis, as temperatures can change rapidly during this period. Be sure to keep yourself warm at all times to avoid getting cold unexpectedly.
After a good exercise, you can consider consuming foods that moisturize the lungs like black sesame, pear, and white fungus.
If you sweat a lot during exercise, you can try drinking water with added salt to replenish the lost liquids.
I hope you find these recommendations useful in this Qiu Fen solar term!
In Fuzhou, China, there is a tradition of eating longan during the Bai Lu solar term. It is believed that consuming longan during this period provides a stronger tonic effect than drinking herbal soups.
Additionally, lily bulb helps to nourish the lungs, calm the mind, and promote better sleep, thus making it ideal for evening consumption.