In winter, all things lie dormant and concealed. To avoid the severe cold and protect the vital yang from disturbance, one should try not to cause the skin to open and sweat, wear more clothes to keep warm, and use heating or a stove indoors to maintain a room temperature no lower than 16°C (this is a people-friendly regulation in Beijing). For the elderly, if the room temperature is too low before heating is available and is not suitable for moving around, supplementary methods can be used, such as an electric heater, an electric blanket at night, and after 9 or 10 AM, going outside to sunbathe and take a walk to maintain normal body temperature. On overcast, rainy, or windy days, it is best not to go out to prevent catching a cold, or in severe cases, frostbite.
I still vividly recall an incident from when I was doing mobile medical tours in Yanqing County. A soldier on duty at a Chinese Academy of Sciences post in Xipozi suffered severe frostbite on his ears because he had not received an order from his superiors to be relieved of his post. The locals said he must not warm them by the fire, otherwise, his ears would fall off due to the extreme cold. Although this is folk wisdom, it has some道理 (reason). Therefore, if snow is available, it can be used to rub the affected area until sensation gradually returns, followed by washing with warm water. The same principle applies to frozen hands and feet, as they are both part of the peripheral circulation.
To prevent frostbite, one should regularly eat dog meat, lamb, venison, turtle meat, sparrow meat, quail meat, pigeon meat, shrimp, clams, sea cucumber, and other foods in the winter. These foods can generate heat, keep the body warm, and should be consumed while wearing warm clothing.
As for soups and dishes, since I was a child, my family and I would eat hot pot made with Chinese cabbage and some meat, fish, and seafood to keep warm and fend off the cold. Better-off families would start adding a "chrysanthemum hot pot"—a hot pot with various ingredients—from the ninth day of the ninth lunar month to keep warm. Once the spleen and stomach are warmed, the limbs benefit. By wearing warm clothes, one will naturally not suffer from frostbite.
The chrysanthemum hot pot is made by boiling dried shrimp to create a flavorful broth. Various frozen meats (not limited to lamb) can be added, using whatever ingredients are on hand. A mixed hot pot includes frozen tofu, vermicelli, meat (or vegetarian) balls, "shènzi" (a jelly made from meat broth and starch), kelp, seaweed, sea lettuce, cuttlefish, sea cucumber, and large shrimp, seasoned appropriately as needed. It is best to drink the fresh broth with rice and eat some buns, steamed bread, or twisted rolls.
For postpartum women, the frail, young children, the elderly, and those recovering from illness, Astragalus and Angelica can be added to the hot pot. Astragalus tonifies qi and generates blood, while Angelica invigorates the blood and reaches the limbs and extremities. Since the ends of the limbs or exposed parts like the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth can all be reached, it is said to prevent frostbite. Additionally, one can eat Angelica and Lamb Soup with Ginger: 25 grams of Angelica, 5 grams of ginger, and 500 grams of lamb. It can be stir-fried, stewed, made into a soup, or eaten as a hot pot, according to personal preference. There is a saying, "Qì for the outside, Shēn for the inside, Cǎo for the center." Qì refers to Astragalus, which can be eaten as a dish to supplement the exterior and prevent cold. Shēn can refer to Codonopsis or cultivated ginseng, which tonify the internal organs. Cǎo refers to licorice, which has wild varieties found in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and areas around the Great Wall. It supplements the center, that is, the spleen and stomach. The ratio can be 4:2:1.
If your hands and feet are truly swollen from frostbite, do not roast them by a stove, as they will break open from the thawing and refreezing. When I was in my hometown, I used to fry raw licorice in oil to extract its oil, called "licorice oil," and apply it to my frostbitten hands and feet. It could reduce swelling on unbroken skin. After moving to the city, many famous surgeons also use this method. For example, the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine uses licorice oil to treat burn scars and keloids, which coincides with our folk remedy.