Cold and cough season has arrived. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs, which open to the nose and mouth through the respiratory passages, are considered the most delicate of the five yin organs and the easiest for external influences to affect. These external factors are described as six types: 

• Wind
• Cold
• Dampness
• Dryness
• Heat
• Fire

Coughs are most often linked to Wind, though Wind frequently combines with other influences such as Cold, Heat, or Dryness, depending on seasonal conditions. Wind enters from the back of the neck and ankles. Wrap up in a scarf or buff to keep your neck ‘wind gate’ covered!

Here is a quick and easy recipe to nip that cold in the bud:

• 1 green onion, white portion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, sliced thinly
• 1-2 thin slices of fresh ginger, unpeeled
• 1 to 1.5 cups of bone broth or water

Bring the water or broth to a boil, add ingredients and turn down to a simmer after a few minutes. Strain and cool a few minutes to a comfortable temperature. Serve in a mug or bowl.

This may induce a slight sweat which helps expel dis-ease from the body. Snuggle up in some blankets, but if you feel damp rinse off and put on dry clothes.