Key Points For Health Care In The Four Seasons Of Spring, Summer, Autumn And Winter, Follow The Rules And Protect Your Health
Chunsheng: soothes the liver, regulates qi, and helps yang rise and hair growth
After the beginning of spring, the Yang Qi in nature begins to rise, and the Liver Qi in the human body also becomes strong. "Lingshu" states that "spring corresponds to the liver", and the key to health care at this time lies in the word "生". When getting up in the morning, it is better to go to bed later and get up earlier, spread your hair and walk slowly to increase your willpower. As for diet, it is recommended to eat more foods with pungent and sweet properties, such as leeks, toon, bean sprouts, coriander, etc., to help Yang Qi rise. Sun Simiao, a doctor in the Tang Dynasty, advocated "reducing sourness and increasing sweetness to protect the spleen." Because sourness has an astringent effect and is not beneficial to the release of liver qi, while sweetness entering the spleen can prevent liver wood from restraining spleen earth.
The therapeutic recipe of stir-fried walnuts with leeks is recommended. Leeks have the effect of warming the middle and promoting qi, while walnuts have the effect of nourishing the kidneys and warming the lungs. Stir-frying the two together can not only loosen the existing liver qi and release it outwards without stopping, but also warm the kidney yang so that it can flow more smoothly without obstruction or blockage. This is actually in line with the theory of "liver and kidney have the same origin". For tea, you can add 3 grams of roses, 2 grams of bergamot slices, and 5 grams of wolfberry, and brew it with boiling water as a drink instead of tea. This therapeutic recipe can relieve the congestion of liver qi and make it smooth, and nourish the liver blood to make it more abundant, thick and full. It is especially suitable for people who are easily angry or depressed.
Xia Chang: clears the heart and relieves summer heat, strengthens the spleen and removes dampness
In the hot summer season, the human body's yang energy will emerge on the surface of the body, causing the body's internal organs to be in a state of openness and catharsis. However, the spleen and stomach are often in a state of deficiency and coldness. To maintain health at this time, you need to "keep your mind free of anger", that is, maintain a happy state of refreshing spirit and peaceful breath. In terms of rest and activity arrangements, you should go to bed late and get up early, don't get bored with the summer day, and vent the heat inside your body through appropriate sweating.
In summer health care, diet occupies the most critical and important position. Although the weather is unbearably hot, don't be greedy for coolness. Chilled foods are most likely to damage spleen yang. In fact, the best products that really have a good effect in relieving summer heat are mung bean soup (cook it until it just blooms, not suitable for cooking for a long time) and black plum rock sugar drink. They can produce body fluids to quench thirst, and can also open up the appetite. If there is a lot of moisture in the body, the body will feel heavy and there will be a loss of appetite. In this case, you can use adzuki bean and barley water. The fried barley can further increase the effect of strengthening the spleen. It is best to eat lighter ingredients in your daily diet. Eat more winter melon, loofah and cucumber, which can not only clear away heat, but will not damage righteousness.
Autumn Harvest: Nourishes yin and moisturizes the lungs, and restrains spirit energy
When the autumn wind blows, dryness begins to dominate. The lungs are delicate organs. They like moisture and hate dryness. Therefore, autumn dryness can easily damage the lungs and eventually lead to dry mouth, throat, and skin. At this time, the core focus of health care is "harvest". The work and rest should be adjusted to go to bed early and get up early, and move together with the chickens, so as to keep the mind calm and relieve the autumn punishment.
In spring, on the contrary, the dietary principle should be to "save pungent and increase sourness" appropriately. Sour flavors have astringent properties, which can nourish the lungs and astringe qi, such as hawthorn, grapes, and grapefruit; pungent flavors have divergent properties, which can cause lung qi to be purged, so peppers, ginger, and garlic should be eaten less. Facing the condition of autumn dryness, the key is to "nourishes yin and moisturizes the lungs". "Recommended dietary prescription: Sydney Tremella Soup". Soak the white fungus and tear it into pieces. Cook it with pear chunks, lilies, and pitted red dates until it becomes thick and full of gelatin. This can moisten the lungs, promote body fluids, and nourish the skin. There is a tea recipe called Dendrobium Ophiopogon japonicus tea. Take 5 grams of fresh dendrobium or dried dendrobium and 5 grams of Ophiopogon japonicus and soak it in boiling water. It has a unique effect on yin deficiency, dryness and heat, and dry and itchy throat.
Winter storage: strengthens the kidneys and stores essence, nourishes yin and nourishes
During the three months of winter, this situation is called hiding. The water turns to ice and the earth cracks, and the Yang energy is hidden inside. At this time, health care must comply with the principle of "not disturbing the Yang". Go to bed early and get up late. Be sure to wait until the daylight appears. Avoid strenuous exercise that makes you sweat profusely to prevent the Yang energy from being depleted. The spirit should also be reserved and not exposed, so that emotions seem to be dormant and hidden.
Winter is the best time to take supplements. The focus is to replenish the essence to nourish the bone marrow and thereby protect the kidneys. In terms of diet, we should "reduce saltiness and increase bitterness", because salty taste enters the kidneys, but too much salty taste will cause damage to the kidneys, and bitter taste will enter the heart. Increasing bitter taste can nourish the heart qi, thus allowing the heart and kidneys to intersect. It is not suitable to eat raw and cold food, and it is also not suitable to eat spicy and hot things, otherwise it will arouse Yang Qi and cause interference. This season is the most suitable for soups, such as Gorgon Walnut and Pork Bone Soup. Gorgon has the effect of strengthening the spleen and kidneys, walnuts can warm and nourish kidney yang, and pig bones can fill the marrow. It is extremely suitable for people with weak constitutions and soreness of the waist and knees. For people with weak and cold constitutions, you can use a small amount of angelica and ginger to stew mutton every few days. This is a modification of the "Angelica Ginger Mutton Soup" and is a classic combination for warming and tonifying qi and blood.
Maintaining health in the four seasons is not a rigid dogma, but teaches us how to synchronize with heaven and earth. First is spring growth, then summer growth, then autumn harvest, and finally winter storage. Adapt to the changes of the four seasons and the changes of cold and heat. By adjusting the combination of natural ingredients and daily maintenance, the five internal organs, namely the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, are maintained in a peaceful state. The yin and yang are balanced, and the hardness and softness are coordinated with each other. This is the wisdom of "longevity and long-term vision" as the ancients said.
