As the scorching summer approaches, with high temperatures and intense heat, the sun relentlessly burns our skin and the earth. The number of people suffering from heatstroke each year is also increasing year by year. A lack of awareness of heatstroke prevention is one of the hidden dangers. So, how can we effectively protect ourselves from the sun and heatstroke? In the hot summer, the air is humid, and it's difficult for the body to dissipate heat. When too much heat accumulates, it can lead to a loss of control of the body's thermoregulatory center, causing illness. So, how do you make heatstroke-relieving and thirst-quenching tea? Let's find out with the editor below.
How to Make Heatstroke-Relieving and Thirst-Quenching Tea
1. How to Make Heatstroke-Relieving and Thirst-Quenching Tea
1.1. Prunella Leaf and Lotus Leaf Tea
Method: Use 10 grams each of Prunella leaf and Lotus leaf. Decoct them in water to make a soup, then take the liquid. Drink several times a day.
Effect: It can clear the liver, nourish blood, and promote the circulation of qi, with the added benefit of lowering blood pressure.
1.2. Chrysanthemum and Green Tea Drink
Method: Use 3 grams each of Chrysanthemum, Pagoda Tree flower, and Green tea. Brew with boiling water. Drink several times a day.
Effect: It can dispel wind, clear heat, and benefit the liver and gallbladder. It can be used as an auxiliary treatment for hypertension.
1.3. Hawthorn Tea
Method: Take fresh hawthorn, press it flat, and then crush the dried hawthorn. Use 30 grams daily, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar, and brew with boiling water.
Effect: It can dispel wind, clear heat, and benefit the liver and gallbladder. It can be used as an auxiliary treatment for hypertension.
2. What to Eat and Drink for Heatstroke Relief and Quenching Thirst in Summer
2.1. Eat More Porridge
Eating more porridge is a traditional health-preserving method in China and is very beneficial for the body. Porridges for preventing heatstroke include mung bean porridge, lotus leaf porridge, fresh lotus root porridge, and raw reed rhizome porridge. You can also cook a porridge with 15 grams each of Cassia seed and white chrysanthemum, 60 grams of japonica rice, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar to serve as a cool drink for summer and autumn. Additionally, porridge made with white-fleshed sweet potato and a suitable amount of mustard leaf added to japonica rice can help relieve summer heat and induce sweating.
2.2. Drink More Soup
When you sweat a lot and lose significant body fluids, drinking soup can replenish water in a timely manner and is also beneficial for digestion and absorption. The best soup to drink is mung bean soup, as mung beans are cool in nature and have the effect of clearing heat and relieving summer heat. Mung beans can be combined with other foods or herbs to make a delicious soup that clears heat and relieves summer heat.
2.3. Eat More Green Vegetables
When the weather is hot and humid, people generally prefer light, fresh, and non-greasy foods. Green vegetables have this characteristic and are rich in vitamins and protein. Therefore, you should try to eat more green vegetables, such as various beans, melons, bok choy, cilantro, and fennel. They not only supplement nutrition but also have the effect of clearing heat and relieving summer heat.
3. What Are Some Recipes for Relieving Summer Heat and Quenching Thirst?
3.1. Rock Sugar Mint Green Tea
Method: Brew a pot of green tea with boiling hot water. Crush mint leaves in a cup and strain the mint juice. Fill a glass with ice cubes, pour in the cooled green tea and mint juice, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar and some lemon juice, and stir with a stirrer. A refreshing and thirst-quenching mint iced green tea is ready.
3.2. Brown Sugar Corn Juice
Method: Wash the sweet corn and cut off the kernels. Put the corn kernels into a pot, add water and bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then pour the corn and its juice into a blender and blend into a puree. Filter the corn puree. Add brown sugar and cream.
3.3. Cucumber and Pear Juice
Method: 1 cucumber, 1 pear, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Wash the cucumber and pear, then rub the skins with salt for a moment, or wash them with edible baking soda, and rinse clean. Cut the ingredients into small pieces. Put them in a blender, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar or honey, and blend until smooth for a better texture.
Summer Diet Precautions
1. Eat more bitter foods. Because of the heat, people tend to like to eat iced sweet soups and desserts because they are easy to eat. However, they don't realize they are absorbing more calories. In your three daily meals, pay attention to eating more bitter foods. Although bitter foods may not be as palatable, they are healthy foods for summer days.
2. Pay attention to supplementing vitamins. In high-temperature seasons, the body's metabolism speeds up, and it is easy to lack various vitamins. At this time, you can selectively and quantitatively supplement some vitamins, preferably through food. As a "meat lover," it's better to eat more vegetarian food in the summer.
3. Don't forget to supplement salt and potassium. In the summer, you sweat a lot, so you lose more salt in your body. Therefore, pay attention to eating more salty foods to replenish the lost salt and achieve the body's needed balance. Those with a sweet tooth should pay special attention, even though the cake in the freezer is so tempting.
4. Summer is a time for light nourishment. The diet in summer should be based on the principles of light nourishment, strengthening the spleen, and eliminating summer heat and dampness. You should choose foods with the effect of being light and nourishing yin. If you must eat spicy hot pot to "fight fire with fire," that's your own decision.
How to Prevent Heatstroke in Summer
1. Replenish water in a timely manner, but drink less beverages. Beverages like juice, cola, Sprite, and soda water contain more saccharin and electrolytes. Drinking too much can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, affecting digestion and appetite. Therefore, in the summer, you should drink more plain boiled water or lightly salted (or sugared) water.
2. After feeling thirsty, do not drink excessively. After sweating a lot from labor or exercise, it is not advisable to drink large amounts of plain water. You should supplement with lightly salted (or sugared) water, because excessive sweating causes a significant loss of salt in the body. If salt is not replenished in time, the ratio of water to salt in the body will become severely imbalanced, leading to metabolic disorders.
3. The time when solar short-wave radiation is strongest is around 10 AM to 3 PM. Try to avoid going out during this period. If you must go out, apply some sunscreen to your skin. Summer clothing should be light-colored.
4. It is not advisable to drink excessively. In summer, the human body is affected by high temperatures and can easily accumulate damp-heat. Excessive damp-heat is a cause of skin abscesses and sores. Drinking a lot of alcohol will further generate heat and dampness, which is like pouring oil on the fire. This can lead to feeling uncomfortable all over and more lethargic upon waking.