TCM for Haze in Singapore

By PULSE Clinical Content

Clinically reviewed Dr Sim Beng Joo TCMPB T1303003A

Updated 4 Sep 2026 Published 4 Sep 2026

In brief

When haze rises in Singapore, shorten outdoor time using NEA readings. Notice whether discomfort is light (eases indoors within an hour or two), settling in (returns across haze days or lasts into the evening), or heavy enough to stop home care and seek help. Sleep by about 11pm, favour warm drinks, and cover your nose and neck in cold air-con. Use moistening or strengthening recipes only when they suit how you feel. If the throat, nose, head, or eyes already sting, choose the matching haze tea or press. Skip cooling teas if you feel chilled with a clear runny nose. Home teas and presses do not filter PM2.5. See a physician when symptoms keep returning. Seek urgent care for hard breathing, chest pain, high fever, or sudden vision change.

01 · Haze season

Cut outdoor time, then settle the airways

Singapore haze often shows as dryness in the throat, nose, and eyes. Shorten outdoor time with NEA readings first. Kitchen teas and soft presses can ease leftover dryness. They do not filter PM2.5.

What to do on a haze day
Step	What it means	What to do
Air qualityDay's PSI; next hour's PM2.5.	NEA 24-hour PSI for the day; one-hour PM2.5 for the next hour.	Follow NEA advice; vulnerable groups stay cautious outdoors.
How you feelLight, settling in, or heavy.	How long signs last, and whether they return across haze days.	Use the check below before picking a tea or press.
Everyday prepSleep, warm drinks, neck cover.	Sleep, warm drinks, and neck cover before the air turns dry.	Moisten or strengthen only when it suits how you feel.
What you feelThroat, nose, head, eyes.	Start with your main symptom, then pick the matching tea or press.	Skip cooling teas if you feel chilled with a clear runny nose.

02 · How you feel

How are you feeling in this haze?

Scratchy throat, stinging eyes, a runny nose, or a dull head often follow poor air days here. This is a simple self-check, not a medical score, and it does not replace NEA advice. Ask: Did this start or worsen when the air was bad? Does it ease indoors? Which parts sting? Do you feel chilled with a clear runny nose? Are you pregnant, elderly, a child, or living with chronic lung or heart conditions? Then place yourself below.

1. Light

Mild scratch or sting after being outdoors that settles indoors within one to two hours. Sleep and appetite stay steady. Reduce outdoor time, keep warm drinks and rest, and press only if something still niggles.

2. Settling in

The same discomfort returns across several haze days, or dry throat, runny nose, mild headache, or eye strain lasts into the evening with air-con. Choose a matching kitchen tea or press. Cover nose and neck in cold air-con. Skip cooling teas if you feel chilled with a clear runny nose.

3. Heavy: get help

Hard breathing, chest pain, high fever, sudden vision change, a worst-ever headache, severe facial swelling, a vulnerable person feeling unwell, or flares that keep stacking. Stop kitchen teas and presses. Seek urgent care, or book when symptoms keep returning without those red flags.

03 · Lung and Wei Qi

Why the throat, nose, and eyes take the hit

In TCM the Lungs send Qi down and open to the nose and throat. Dry, smoky air often lands as a scratchy throat, sticky phlegm, irritable eyes, or a runny nose. Wei Qi (卫气, defensive Qi) sits at that surface. Iced drinks and long hours in cold air-con can thin it, so outdoor haze and indoor chill stack.

Health advisories follow the 24-hour PSI. Unhealthy begins at 101; very unhealthy is above 200. Use one-hour PM2.5 when deciding the next hour outdoors.
Elderly people, pregnant women, children, and anyone with chronic lung or heart conditions should follow NEA advisories before going outdoors and seek care promptly if they feel unwell.
Cover your nose and neck when you step from haze into cold office air-con, so wind-cold does not settle on an already dry throat or nose.

04 · Prep

Get ready before the air turns dry

On clearer days, keep Wei Qi ready. One cooling tea for the whole household is not prep. Sleep, warm drinks, and the right kitchen recipe matter more than chasing the PSI number.

Sleep by about 11pm so Lung and Spleen can restore overnight.
Favour warm drinks over iced desk drinks while haze and air-con both dry you out.
Moisten when dryness leads: snow pear or snow fungus kitchen recipes, or Mai Dong steeps when dryness starts.
Strengthen when Qi feels thin and strong Heat is absent: Huang Qi with Bai Zhu style soups. Skip that when the mouth is already red and thirsty.
Do not drink the four cooling haze teas every day as blanket prevention when you feel cold or the nose runs clear and watery.

Snow fungus and pear kitchen soup for dry cough or Lung Yin support

Recipe · moisten

Snow fungus pear soup

Kitchen recipe that moistens Lung Yin when dryness leads. Educational food therapy beside physician care.

Skip if strong phlegm-damp leads unless a physician advises otherwise.

See snow fungus pear soup

Huang Qi and Bai Zhu with pork bone for Spleen-Lung support

Recipe · strengthen

Huang Qi Bai Zhu pork bone soup

Pork bone with Huang Qi and Bai Zhu when fatigue, bloating, or recurrent flu point to Spleen and Lung deficiency.

Not the first recipe when strong Heat or yellow phlegm leads.

See Huang Qi Bai Zhu soup

Fresh leafy greens, citrus, and mushrooms for Wei Qi habit planning

Insight · habits

Seven-day Wei Qi habits

One Do, Eat, and Move habit each day for everyday Wei Qi beside Singapore AC and iced drinks.

See the 7-day plan

05 · What you feel

What bothers you most right now?

Start with whatever bothers you most, not the PSI number. One kitchen tea or soft press is enough on a light or settling-in day. If cough is the main bother, use the cough guide before picking a soup.

Dry throat

Dry, ticklish throat with little redness

Mu Hu Die and Mai Dong moisten when dryness leads without a heaty, red feel. Soft Lie Que and Lian Quan presses can sit beside the cup.

Dried Mu Hu Die, Mai Dong, and Gan Cao for dry throat tea

Tea · moisten

Mu Hu Die and Mai Dong tea

When the throat feels dry or ticklish with little redness. Optional honey softens the taste after a five-minute steep.

If there's any chance of pregnancy, don't use this. Cooling and moistening; ease off if you feel cold easily.

Get the dry throat tea recipe

Soft self-press near Lie Que LU7 for a haze dry throat

Press · throat

Haze dry-throat acupressure

Soft Lie Que and Lian Quan about thirty seconds each when haze leaves the throat dry or itchy.

Press for haze dry throat

Sore throat

Throat feels dry, red, or heaty

Mai Dong moistens. Xuan Shen clears heat. Jie Geng opens the throat when scratchiness sits with heat rather than simple dryness alone.

Dried Mai Dong, Xuan Shen, Jie Geng, and Gan Cao for sore throat tea

Tea · clear and moisten

Mai Dong and Xuan Shen tea

For a haze sore throat that feels dry, red, or heaty. Not the first pick if you feel chilled with a clear runny nose.

If there's any chance of pregnancy, don't use this.

Get the sore throat tea recipe

Nose

Runny or blocked nose

Xin Yi, mint, and Bai Zhi briefly open a nose that runs or feels blocked after poor air. Ying Xiang and a soft Qiaogong stroke can sit beside the cup.

Dried magnolia flower buds, mint, and Bai Zhi for runny nose tea at PULSE TCM

Tea · open the nose

Magnolia mint and Bai Zhi tea

When the nose runs or blocks in haze. Wrap Xin Yi in a tea bag first so fibres stay out of the throat.

If there's any chance of pregnancy, don't use this. Do not add raw Cang Er Zi at home.

Get the runny-nose tea recipe

Woman pressing Ying Xiang LI20 beside both nostrils for a haze runny nose

Press · nose

Haze runny-nose acupressure

Ying Xiang with alar strokes, warm ear lobes, and Qiaogong toward the collarbone.

Press for haze nose

Head

Mild heaty or tight temples

Ju Hua clears rising heat at the head. Bai Shao softens Liver tension. He Gu is the usual home press when pregnancy is not a concern.

Dried chrysanthemum, white peony root, and liquorice for headache tea

Tea · cool the head

Chrysanthemum and white peony tea

For a mild heaty or tension-type haze headache. Not urgent care for a sudden worst-ever headache.

If there's any chance of pregnancy, don't use this. Seek urgent care for fever with stiff neck, vision loss, or headache after trauma.

Get the headache tea recipe

Thumb pressing He Gu LI4 for haze headache

Press · headache

Haze headache acupressure

He Gu (LI4) one to two minutes each side when haze brings a frontal headache. Skip in pregnancy.

If there's any chance of pregnancy, don't use He Gu.

Press for haze headache

Eyes

Eyes feel dry, itchy, or strained

Irritable eyes in haze often sit with brow and temple tightness. Soft local presses help between visits. The four haze teas are not for the eyes.

Woman circling Cuan Zhu BL2 at the medial end of the eyebrow for haze eye discomfort

Press · eyes

Haze eye discomfort acupressure

Cuan Zhu, Tai Yang, and gentle orbital massage when haze leaves the eyes irritable.

Wash hands first. Soft pressure only; never press into the eyeball.

Press for haze eyes

Chills

Chills with a clear runny nose

The four haze kitchen teas lean cool, or they open a blocked nose. If you feel chilled and the mucus runs clear and watery, you usually need warmth instead. The same PSI day can still want a warmer cup.

Leave Mu Hu Die, Xuan Shen, Ju Hua, and Xin Yi teas aside while you feel chilled with a clear runny nose.
If the runny nose or throat keeps returning across several haze spells, see a physician rather than forcing another cool cup.

Next step

Cooling teas may not suit these signs

A physician can sort wind-cold from dry-heat haze irritation and decide whether herbs, acupuncture, or Immunity & Vitality care belongs in your plan.

Book Appointment Immunity & Vitality programme

Full guides

Want the full tea or press guides?

The two haze Insights gather every kitchen steep and home press in one place when you want more depth.

Dried Mu Hu Die, Mai Dong, chrysanthemum, and liquorice for haze-season kitchen teas

Insight · teas

Easy-to-brew teas for haze season

Four five-minute kitchen steeps for dry throat, heaty sore throat, runny nose, and mild heaty head.

See haze teas

Woman pressing He Gu LI4 in the hand webbing for haze-season headache self-care

Insight · presses

DIY acupressure to beat the haze

Eight home presses for haze headache, eye discomfort, runny nose, and dry throat. Soft pressure and clear pregnancy stops.

See haze acupressure

Clinically reviewed

Reviewed by Sim Beng Joo

Advisor (Science & Strategy) / Consultant Physician · TCMPB T1303003A

MOH-licensed TCM physician and biomedical scientist, with clinical work in digestion, pain, sleep or fatigue, and constitution patterns that show as airway, eye, or head irritation in poor air-quality seasons.

View full profile

Educational information based on clinical experience and TCM principles. Not a substitute for personalised consultation, medical care, NEA health advisories, or urgent attention. TCM teas and self-press do not filter PM2.5 or replace masks, air quality guidance, or GP care. Speak with your physician before new teas or presses in pregnancy or with a chronic condition. Seek urgent care for breathlessness, chest pain, high fever, sudden vision change, or severe facial swelling.

FAQs

Haze and TCM questions

How haze feels, everyday prep, which tea or press to use, and when to book.

Can TCM prevent haze illness?

TCM teas and self-press can support Wei Qi and ease leftover throat, nose, eye, or head discomfort. They do not filter PM2.5 or replace NEA advisories, masks when indicated, or GP care. Cut outdoor time first.

How do I know if haze is affecting me?

Notice whether the discomfort is light, settling in, or heavy. Light eases indoors within one to two hours. Settling in returns across several haze days or lasts into the evening. Heavy means hard breathing, chest pain, high fever, sudden vision change, a worst-ever headache, or a vulnerable person feeling unwell. Also ask whether symptoms track poor air days, which parts sting, and whether chills with a clear runny nose mean you should skip cooling teas. This is a self-check, not a medical score.

How do I prepare Wei Qi before a haze spell?

Sleep by about 11pm, favour warm drinks over iced desk drinks, cover the nose and neck when you step into cold air-con, and stay hydrated. Moisten with pear or Mai Dong kitchen recipes when dryness leads; use Huang Qi-family soups only when Qi feels thin and strong Heat is absent.

Should I drink cooling haze teas every day?

No. The four haze kitchen teas lean cool, or they open a blocked nose, for today's signs. Daily strong cooling when you feel cold, or chilled with a clear runny nose, can weaken the Spleen. Match the cup after exposure.

What haze signs match which kitchen tea or self-press?

Dry, ticklish throat with little redness: Mu Hu Die with Mai Dong and Gan Cao, plus soft Lie Que and Lian Quan. Throat dry, red, or heaty: Mai Dong with Xuan Shen and Jie Geng. Runny or blocked nose: Xin Yi (in a tea bag) with mint and Bai Zhi, plus Ying Xiang. Mild heaty or tight temples: Ju Hua with Bai Shao and Gan Cao, plus He Gu if you are not pregnant. Dry, itchy, or strained eyes: brow and temple presses, not the haze teas. Skip cooling teas if you feel chilled with a clear runny nose.

When should elderly, pregnant people, or children seek care in haze?

Follow NEA health advisories before going outdoors, keep medications to hand, and seek care promptly if they feel unwell. Skip He Gu and the cooling haze teas in pregnancy unless a physician says otherwise.

When is kitchen haze care not enough?

See a physician when throat, nose, head, or eye irritation keeps returning across several haze spells, or seek urgent care for hard breathing, chest pain, high fever, sudden vision change, or severe facial swelling.

References

Selected sources

National Environment Agency Singapore. Haze / air quality (PSI and PM2.5). https://www.haze.gov.sg/
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Traditional Chinese medicine: What you need to know. 2019. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/traditional-chinese-medicine-what-you-need-to-know/
Ministry of Health Singapore. TCM practitioners (Healthcare Professional Portal). https://hpp.moh.gov.sg/tcm-practitioners/
World Health Organization. Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. https://www.who.int/health-topics/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine

Next step

Ready for a haze-season consult?

Bring which symptoms flare on poor air-quality days, how you manage at home, and any GP notes. We will name the pattern in plain language and decide what belongs in your plan.

Book Appointment Immunity & Vitality

Flagship: ION Orchard · +65 6235 4355
Hours: Most clinics daily 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Care: Physician-led consultation

Cut outdoor time, then settle the airways

How are you feeling in this haze?

1. Light

2. Settling in

3. Heavy: get help

Why the throat, nose, and eyes take the hit