When Autumn Is Wet
It’s been a funny old few weeks, we need a minute to catch up with the fact we have officially arrived into Autumn, with little sign of an Indian summer up north.
Let’s unpack that nuance of Autumn:
The Archetype vs. the Reality
In Classical TCM, each season is associated with a cosmic quality rather than local weather conditions. Autumn’s Dryness is the archetypal Qi, meaning it describes the energetic movement of the season: contracting, descending, consolidating. It reflects the overall tendency of nature to dry out, even if a few weeks are wet or humid. But, and this is key, TCM is always local and adaptive. So when autumn rains arrive and the air turns damp rather than crisp, that’s an overlay of Damp Qi on top of the autumn’s Dry Metal foundation. This can create mixed patterns, like Damp-Dry imbalance.
When Damp Persists throughout Autumn; As our region gets a lot of rain, mist, or humidity (coastal conditions) the Spleen, the organ most sensitive to damp can become taxed.
You may notice,
Heavy limbs or fatigue
Bloating or foggy thinking
Phlegm, sinus congestion, or lingering chest tightness
Feeling emotionally ‘bogged down’
This is Damp Qi, and it can linger even as the season’s dryness starts to rise.
Here’s where we need to dance with the elements;
In a damp autumn the external climate being damp and cold despite the seasonal archetype still dry and contracting - Metal season. The therapeutic response is to move with inner warmth to gently dry the internal environment, without over drying in central heating and overly heated rooms, this is one of the reasons we really love the infra red heaters in our studios!
If the rain is heavy and humidity high:
Emphasis on warming is key, try also adding cardamom to warm milk.
Eat cooked, warm lightly spiced foods, think broths, roasted root vegetables. Reduce raw, cold foods (they can create more damp).
Use castor oil topically for warmth and circulation, but moderate oily/heavy foods internally.
Simply put: autumn is energetically dry, but our climate has been rainy, creating a damp autumn condition that needs warming and gentle drying. This ‘dry’ quality describes the energetic movement of the season, a contraction and descent, just like the trees drawing sap inward and the air turning cool and clear.
But nature is never one note.
In many regions, autumn brings rain, mist, and humidity, overlaying the season’s dry, contracting nature with damp Qi. This damp influence can settle into the body, especially when the Spleen (the organ responsible for transforming and transporting fluids) is sluggish or overburdened.
When Dryness Dominates
You’ll feel it as: Dry skin, lips, throat, or nasal passages, Constipation or a dry cough, Sadness or a sense of loss (the emotional tone of the Metal element)
Balancing tip:
Bring in moisture and nourishment. Honey, sesame oil, avocado, cooked pears, and gentle soups moisten the Lungs and Large Intestine, helping you stay supple through the seasonal contraction.
When Dampness Lingers
When the autumns are wet and heavy with rain, the body can feel:
Lethargic, heavy, or foggy
Digestively sluggish or bloated
Phlegmy or congested in the chest or sinuses
Balancing tip:
Encourage warmth and movement to disperse Damp Qi. Favor lightly spiced, cooked foods, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, fennel, and cardamom. Avoid raw, cold, or overly oily dishes that slow digestion.
A castor-oil pack over the abdomen or a cup of warm ginger-turmeric-honey tea can stoke inner warmth, move stagnation, and gently dry Damp without stripping the body’s natural fluids.
Finding balance.
In reality, most of us experience a blend of these influences. Dryness above, Damp below.
So the invitation this season is to moisten what’s parched and warm what’s heavy, keeping the body light, supple, and adaptable. Your autumn self-care formula, castor oil, honey, ginger, and turmeric is a perfect alchemy for this balance:
Honey nourishes Yin and moistens.
Ginger and turmeric warm and move Qi, dispersing damp. Castor oil lubricates and releases stagnation through the bowels. Together, they remind us that the seasons are not absolutes, they are living, breathing dialogues between Earth and body, sky and skin.