Root Season Is On
There's a root in my broth. Astragalus, to be precise. I add it to nearly every pot this time of year. And when I started thinking about why, I realized there was much more I wanted to say about this season.
Above ground, everything is letting go. The aspens have dropped their gold, the garden is a tangle of stalks, and the light comes in sideways by five o'clock. Below ground, everything is gathering.
Autumn is our passage into winter. When you think of the year as a continuum rather than a series of separate seasons, it becomes easier to tune in to what's happening around you. We can't skip autumn, and why would we? There's so much to experience along the way. We can prepare our bodies and minds for what's coming, while still being fully present in the season we're in.
What the plants know
All summer, perennial plants put their energy into growing leaves, flowers and seeds. As the days grow shorter, their priorities change. Many begin storing more of their resources underground, in roots and other storage organs.
A plant has no arguments against the cold and the dark. It adapts.
This is one reason autumn has traditionally been a time for gathering roots. Many plants have built up their underground reserves by then, although the best harvest time always depends on the species.
I think we feel this energy shift too. After months of being outdoors, meeting people, travelling, doing things, we may find ourselves wanting less stimulation and more time at home. A social summer has used up some of our juices, hasn't it? Perhaps autumn is a good time to replenish them.
An old map: Metal
Traditional Chinese medicine reads the year through five elements, and autumn belongs to Metal.
Its organs are the Lungs and the Large Intestine, and it's connected with our ability to take in what is valuable and to let go of what we no longer need.
The emotion associated with Metal is grief. And perhaps one of the things grief can teach us is acceptance. Just as trees release their leaves, we can ask ourselves what we're ready to release.
Its climate is dryness, which is why nourishing fluids and moisture is an important part of autumn care in Chinese medicine.
Warm, cooked, moist
Eat what the season gives: apples, squash, cabbage, ginger, kale. And the roots I love for their earthy taste: beets, carrots, parsley root, celeriac, turnip.
White foods matter now. In Chinese medicine, white is the colour of Metal and the Lungs: pears, cauliflower, leeks, mushrooms will support these organs.
How you prepare your food matters too. Soups, stews, slow-cooked vegetables, baked roots. Food that brings warmth and moisture to the table, and makes you feel nourished. If you're used to starting the day with yoghurt and granola, try a bowl of warm porridge or congee instead. The traditional idea is to support digestion and preserve the body's warmth.
And don't forget what you drink. Limit or leave out cold drinks, matcha, which is cooling, and too much coffee, since coffee is drying. If you do have coffee, you can add half a teaspoon of butter and a little honey; these balance its drying nature. Worth knowing if you're doing intermittent fasting, though: that will break your fast. Reach instead for warm, caffeine-free herbal infusions.
In Poland, we have a tradition of making kompot, a traditional Polish drink made by gently simmering fruit in water. I make it regularly during the colder months.
As I write this, I'm sipping a kompot made with pears, apples, raspberries, hibiscus, ginger, cloves, anise, cinnamon, sweet almonds and dried aronia berries. Kompot fits the principles of Chinese dietary tradition well: warm, cooked drinks that hydrate us in a wise way. Cooked fruit doesn't cool the body the way raw fruit does. Pears and sweet almonds are valued for their moistening qualities, particularly in relation to the Lungs and dryness. Warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves complement the cooler nature of some fruits. You can play with the mix of fruit, but keep pears and apples as your base.
The result is a fragrant, naturally sweet, nourishing drink that brings warmth, provides fluids and, in TCM terms, helps moisten dryness. If you enjoy matching warming flavours to the season, here's more on seasonal herbal tea pairings.
And also, start filling the shelves: herbal vinegars and honeys, apple and tomato sauce, ferments. You can ferment practically everything. Our ancestors knew this well. Fermented vegetables, dried mushrooms and herbs, preserved fruit, roots and apples stored in cool cellars. They knew how to make autumn's abundance last through winter. There's something deeply comforting about preparing for winter this way. Not out of fear of what's coming, but out of care for ourselves.
Roots in my pantry
Back to astragalus. This root goes into nearly every broth I make in the colder months. In traditional Chinese medicine, it's valued as a tonic for vitality and immune support. And I love its gentle sweetness and pleasant, earthy aroma. It brings a lovely depth of flavour to the broth. I'm particularly fond of plants that are both good for us and delicious.
Fresh ginger goes into infusions, soups, congee, everywhere. Mostly for its warming qualities. I crave that feeling of warmth spreading through my body when the days turn cold. Technically a rhizome. I let it in anyway.
And then there's horseradish. I add the root to my ferments or grate it fresh over food. Sharp, pungent, wonderfully nose-clearing. Its characteristic bite comes from compounds called isothiocyanates, some of which have shown antimicrobial activity in laboratory studies. It's also a source of vitamin C and minerals. My everyday wasabi. Autumn, especially after the first frosts, is a wonderful time to harvest it.
When I think of roots, I also think of my grandmother and her comfrey salve.
She reached for it whenever she or someone else had a bruise, aching joints, or sore muscles. A little jar full of healing power and grandmotherly love. Rich in allantoin and rosmarinic acid, comfrey helps support tissue repair and healing while reducing inflammation and swelling. Just thinking about it makes me want to make a batch of this ointment for myself. I’ll call it Hedwiga’s Healing Salve. After my grandmother, of course.
Comfrey does require care. It contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, so its use should be limited to appropriately prepared external products, on unbroken skin and for short periods.
Warmth and rest
In Polish there's a word for the ache low in the back: korzonki. Little roots. When someone says their korzonki are acting up, everyone understands: keep it warm.
It's a fitting word for root season. In Chinese medicine, the lower back is associated with the Kidneys, understood as the body's deepest roots and reserves. Winter is their season, and keeping the lower back warm is considered important. So let’s begin supporting and strengthening them with warmth, starting this fall, before winter even arrives.
The neck, wrists and ankles deserve the same attention as your lower back, especially when the cold wind picks up. In TCM, vulnerability to cold and wind is described through the concept of Wind-Cold.
Rest matters as much as warmth. In autumn and winter, let’s try to align our daily rhythm with the shorter days, winding down earlier and allowing more time for sleep. As the mornings grow darker, perhaps we can allow ourselves a little more rest, rather than fighting the changing rhythm of the season.
The roots we can't see
In parts of the old Slavic world, the turn of October into November was a time to honour the dead. One of the traditions was Dziady, a gathering around the memory of ancestors. Food was offered, rituals were performed, and the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to grow thinner. It was a time to remember those who came before us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, jing is our vital essence, partly inherited from our parents. We carry so much from those who came before us, not only in our bodies, but in our stories, habits, fears and ways of seeing the world.
Writers such as Anne Ancelin Schützenberger and Mark Wolynn have explored how family experiences can echo through generations. Not necessarily as memories we consciously hold, but as patterns of behaviour, fears, silences and ways of responding to the world.
Some of these ideas remain debated, but the question they raise is worth asking:
Am I carrying something that was never mine?
Metal asks a simpler question: what is it time to let go of?
Root Season is a good moment to come close to those thoughts. Maybe to finally say goodbye to someone,
or something. And to embrace what you want to take with you, what helps you feel grounded and strong,
even on the darkest days.
A practice: The Tree
I have a practice to offer you, one that may support you through this time of transformation. Give yourself some uninterrupted time, ideally around 30 minutes. There's no need to finish everything in one sitting. You can return to this practice whenever you feel like it.
Settle in
- Brew a warm, grounding tea: tulsi, lemon balm, or Found by Téhua.
- Spend a moment with it. Feel the warmth of the cup in your hands, breathe in its scent, watch the steam.
- Take a few deep breaths. With every sip, imagine the warm liquid and the plant in it spreading through your body, from your throat down to your feet. Feel that warmth moving through your whole body.
See your tree
- Imagine yourself as a tree. What kind of tree are you? How does it look? Is it young or old, tall or small? What do you notice about its condition? If you like, sketch it.
- Can you see its leaves? Or does it have none?
- Now try to see its roots. What are they like? Deep and powerful, or delicate and young? Do they support the tree?
Tend to it
- Does the tree need something? Look at it closely. Maybe ask it. Is something bothering it? Is something missing?
- See what you can offer your tree. Perhaps it needs water, more space, richer soil, or simply time. In your imagination, you can give it whatever feels right.
- If something is harming your tree, you may choose to remove it. You don't have to fight it or be angry with it. Simply recognise that it no longer belongs there, and gently make space for something else. You might fill that space with fresh soil, light, or whatever your tree needs.
Close
- You don't need to make your tree perfect today. Perhaps all it needed was your attention. Perhaps there's more to do, and you can come back another time. Think of it as tending a garden. Some things grow and change slowly.
- When you feel you're done for today, hug the tree in your imagination, or touch your drawing, and thank it for letting you take care of it.
- Take a few more deep breaths, and slowly come back.
If the practice brings up emotions that feel too strong or difficult, you can stop at any point. Consider talking to someone close and trusted, or reaching out to a therapist for support.
Root Season is on
The plants have gone inward. Let's not hesitate to go with them. It's natural and we need it.
Observe nature, and you may remember what to do. You carry the wisdom of your ancestors within you.
Eat warm. Fill the shelves. Keep the wind out. Light a candle for the ones who came before.
And as winter approaches, make room for what nourishes you. Decide, with care, what you'll take with you, and what you're ready to leave behind.
If you spend some time with your tree, I'd love to know what you discovered. You're welcome to share your thoughts below, or come find TÉHUA on Instagram at @withtehua.
Dominika, TÉHUA Founder
The information here reflects my own experience and traditional herbal and Chinese medicine practice. It is not medical advice and it is not meant to diagnose or treat anything. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or managing a health condition, please talk to a qualified health professional before adding new herbs or practices.
Cover photo by Joseph Agboola on Unsplash.