According to TCM, “the Lungs open into the nose,” highlighting a special connection between these two ends of a passageway. The season of Autumn corresponds to the Lung organ-meridian system, also known as Jiāo Zàng (“delicate organ”), reflecting its unique status as an internal organ in particularly direct contact with the external world through the air we breathe in. The nose also holds timely significance as this season’s sense organ, considered a critical threshold that’s both reflective and protective of our deeper respiratory health.

There’s a remarkable orifice-organ connective map that’s integral to TCM diagnostics, highlighting mirror relationships between internal affairs and external openings. Because the nose is considered an external expression of the Lungs, we pay attention to diagnostic clues like the color and consistency of nasal discharge, congestion, dryness, sneezing, and the quality of one’s sense of smell. As the Lungs correspond to the emotion of sadness or grief, we can also trace this connection in the way that the nose usually runs when one cries, or in the onset of respiratory symptoms during times of grief.

Various nasal signs can reflect a multitude of deeper Lung patterns, but here are a few examples. You can always look up your specific symptoms to get an understanding of what’s going on beneath the surface. 

The nose doesn’t just help us assess deeper inner dynamics; it also plays a protective role. Before anything reaches our deeper respiratory tract, it encounters a number of defenses at the boundary of the nose. First, there are nasal hairs, tasked with trapping larger particles near the entrance of the nostrils. Next, we have mucus, one of the body’s innate regulatory mechanisms, which traps particles, allergens, microbes, and helps humidify incoming air (just as our digestive system prefers warm foods, so too does the respiratory system prefer warm, moist air). Finally, we have the cilia, which move mucus with the trapped particles toward the throat for expulsion from the body. As the defensive origin point of the respiratory tract, the nose actually supports our foremost protective barrier. 

Through each breath, the Lungs govern the merging of the external world and our internal landscapes, distilling Qi from the air and using it to help create our defensive shield (Wei Qi). This invisible protective barrier circulates around the surface of the body in the subcutaneous tissues just below the skin, playing a critical role in our defensive immunity, skin and respiratory health, and even the metabolism of emotions, particularly grief. It’s another important boundary that protects us from external influences, whether pathogens or emotional influences. Without the filtration process that the nose facilitates, the integrity of our Wei Qi would be compromised, leaving us exposed, vulnerable, and permeable. 

Merging ancient wisdom with modern implements to help protect the nose, and therefore the Lungs, we can:

• Do facial steams to keep nasal passages moist and open 

• Mineralize to support hydration, which directly supports mucus membranes

• Incorporate fluid-generating foods like pears, soups, congee, stewed fruits, and tremella

• Utilize air filters to minimize the burden on the nose 

• Mitigate dry indoor air from heating systems by using a humidifier