Today (October 8) is the first workday after the National Day holiday, and also is the beginning of Cold Dew, (Chinese: 寒露), the 17th solar term of the traditional Chinese lunar year. Cold Dew is the first solar term with the word “cold”, which means that starting today, the temperature will gradually drop with dry weather and the Northern China will enter beautiful late autumn.

(Photo: Newsgd.com)

People living in Guangdong are also beginning to feel a slight sense of autumn. The changing weather conditions can easily cause colds, coughs, rhinitis and other diseases. Do you know how Cantonese people preserve their health without taking medicine after the Cold Dew? How smart locals adjust their dressing and eating habits according to different solar terms. Come and find the answer in the following posters.

1. Keep your feet and ankles warm

There is a Chinese saying that goes "Human's body cannot be exposed after the White Dew, while the feet cannot be exposed after the Cold Dew." It means that in colder days, people should pay more attention to keeping their feet warm, especially to preserve heat around the ankles. Here are two ways to keep your feet warm.

· Wear socks: Please do not wear sandals barefoot when you go out. Wear warm socks and wrap your ankles.

· Foot bath: Prepare a basin of warm water to soak your feet before going to bed. This method will help to drive away cold and prevent insomnia. Ordinary people can enjoy a foot bath once or twice a week of no more than 30 minutes each time.

Foot bath prescription: 10g dry rose, 30g jujube seed (酸枣仁), 30g Acorus tatarinowii (石菖蒲), 30g polygala root (远志). 

These medicinal materials can be purchased in any Chinese drugstore.

This treatment is most suitable for people with liver depression, blood deficiency, and insomnia.

2. Eat crabs

Cold Dew is the best season to eat crabs. Cantonese people usually choose the simplest cooking method—steamed crabs—to retain the most original flavor of crabs. Although it is tasty, people must be cautious when eating crabs.

· Don't eat too much crab. Because in traditional Chinese medical theory, crab is cold food. Eat too many crabs may hurt a human’s spleen and stomach.

· Don't eat dead crabs. It is easy to cause allergic reactions or food poisoning

· Don't eat crabs and persimmon together. It is easy to form gastric calculus, a stone in the stomach.

3. Eat porridge

Family feasts with various delicacies are inevitable during the National Day holiday. However, the overindulgence of food and drinks will clog the stomach and spleen. Cantonese people usually choose to drink tea and eat light meals after the holiday. When getting colder, a warm bowl of lily porridge is a good choice.

Lily porridge with yam and red dates

Materials: 100g yam, 10g lily, 2 pitted red dates, 10g fried barley, and 50g rice.

Method: Put all the ingredients in a pot, add 600 ml of water, and cook the porridge. Efficacy: tonifying the spleen and moistening dryness.

4. Drink tea

Orange peel tea

Materials: 2g dried orange peel, 2 smoked plum.

Method: Soak all the ingredients in hot water, drink 1 cup after a meal.

Efficacy: help digestion and clear damp

Author: Ariel

Posters: Mia

Editor: Will, Jerry