"Spring gives birth, summer grows, autumn harvests, winter stores; this is the great law of heaven and earth. Spring is warm, summer is hot, autumn is cool, winter is cold; this is the great principle of the four seasons." This is a well-known saying among those who practice health preservation. Winter is the best season of the year for nourishment and tonification. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that winter belongs to the "storage" season. Through tonification, the "essence" of the kidneys can be made more abundant, leading to better health and fewer illnesses in the coming year, which embodies the TCM principle of "preventing disease before it arises." Modern medicine also posits that after entering winter, the body's metabolism slows down and physical energy consumption decreases. At this time, supplements are more easily absorbed and stored, thus exerting a greater effect.
Among the major "courses" of tonification, replenishing Qi, nourishing blood, nourishing Yin, strengthening Yang, nourishing the heart to calm the spirit, strengthening the stomach, and promoting digestion are all "popular" branches. Associate Professor Huang Qihui from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University states that the elderly, those who frequently use their minds, sedentary urban white-collar workers, and those with weakness and fatigue are all suitable candidates for winter tonification. However, it must be done based on one's own constitution, and one should not blindly follow the crowd. Overly rapid or intense tonification can even lead to acute gastritis. Blood nourishment should avoid menstruation.
Many office-working women who sit for long periods and are not active are prone to blood deficiency syndrome in winter. Its main manifestations are a pale or sallow complexion, pale lips, palpitations and insomnia, numbness in the hands and feet, and scanty or absent menstruation. "What these women should do most now is to use Chinese herbs to nourish their blood," he said.
Commonly used Chinese herbs for blood nourishment that are popular among women include Angelica sinensis (Dang Gui), prepared Rehmannia root (Shu Di Huang), fleeceflower root (He Shou Wu), Solomon's seal rhizome (Huang Jing), donkey-hide gelatin (E Jiao), white peony root (Bai Shao), millettia vine (Ji Xue Teng), as well as ginseng (Ren Shen), Codonopsis root (Dang Shen), and Astragalus root (Huang Qi). The main foods used include lamb, pork, beef, chicken, and duck. They are suitable for symptoms caused by blood deficiency, such as a lusterless complexion, listlessness and fatigue, dizziness and blurred vision, palpitations and insomnia, numbness in the extremities, and menstrual irregularities.
"Most of these medicinal diets are considered rich and greasy. Therefore, those with excess heat, phlegm-dampness obstruction, or external heat from an illness should not consume them. It is best to eat them periodically and regularly. Blood nourishment should be avoided during menstruation to prevent increasing the menstrual flow."