Why Late Summer Isn’t Just Pumpkin Spice Season

Before we fully don our scarves and harvest the last of our garden tomatoes, there’s a short but mighty season in Chinese medicine called late summer. This is the Earth element’s time, linked to the Spleen and Stomach—the organs of digestion, assimilation, and groundedness. Late summer usually lands in that sticky, humid period after peak heat but before the true crispness of autumn arrives.

If summer is outward and fiery, late summer is about centering and stabilizing. It’s the pause before the turn inward. Think of it as the body’s chance to come back to home base before the busyness of fall.

Summer’s fire energy is expansive, bright, and yang—it pushes us outward, upward, and into activity. If we don’t root and center after that, the fire can keep blazing unchecked: think restlessness, burnout, anxiety, or scattered focus. Earth season provides the ballast; it is the pivot keeps us from crashing. 

If we skip the pause of late summer, the shift into autumn can feel abrupt—like going from a dance party straight into a silent meditation retreat. Centering allows us to integrate the season that just passed so the descent into fall feels like a glide instead of a nosedive.

Summer often scatters us in a thousand directions: trips, projects, adventures. Late summer is about gathering those pieces back in. What did you learn? What experiences need to be digested before they just rot in the corners of your memory? Centering ensures that what was gained in summer becomes fuel, not clutter.

In East Asian medicine, Earth energy is the great nourisher—the archetypal “home base.” Without taking time to stabilize, our bodies and spirits risk feeling unmoored as the year turns inward. By reconnecting with Earth’s steadiness now, we stock up on resilience for the seasons ahead.

How do we know when Earth is out of balance? Signs can look like digestive sluggishness, sugar cravings, feeling foggy-headed, or worry looping in the mind. The Earth element craves sweetness, but in the form of gently nourishing foods—not the candied kind that come in trick-or-treat baskets.

To support yourself during late summer:

• Eat warm, simple meals: Congee, stews, and roasted yellow or orange veggies are your friends.

• Favor cooked over raw: Raw salads can dampen digestion this time of year; light steaming or roasting supports the Spleen.

• Find routine: Earth loves rhythm. Setting regular meal and sleep times helps your system feel supported.

  
  

When we nourish Earth in late summer, we set ourselves up with strong digestion and stable energy heading into fall. And who knows—your body might just thank you with more balanced cravings and a clearer mind than that extra pumpkin spice latte could ever deliver alone.

If you’re feeling like your system could use some centering—whether that’s smoothing out digestion, clearing brain fog, or tending to those little aches left over from summer adventures—this is the perfect time to come in for treatment. Let’s get you grounded and ready for the turn into fall.