Before the Rain Water solar term, the weather is cold. After it, the temperature rises, but there is often a "spring cold." It is important to adjust your clothing in a timely manner to prevent catching a cold and to increase outdoor exercise. At this time, people's emotions are easily affected by weather changes, and patients with high blood pressure, heart disease, and asthma should pay special attention to health preservation during the Rain Water season.
How to Maintain Health During the Rain Water Season
As the Rain Water solar term arrives, the序幕 of continuous spring rain is about to unfold. However, if there is too much rain and excessive dampness, it can lead to a heavy feeling in the body, as well as symptoms like loss of appetite, indigestion, and diarrhea. During this period, it is important to strengthen the care of the spleen and stomach, and to strengthen the spleen to remove dampness.
Lifestyle Preservation
The Rain Water solar term belongs to early spring weather. It is still cold with large temperature differences between day and night, making people with weaker constitutions prone to colds. Do not rush to take off winter clothes; pay attention to keeping warm. Besides "going to bed late and getting up early," it is also recommended to walk more outdoors and stretch your limbs, but intense exercise is not advisable.
Emotional Preservation
Nourishing the spleen is very important in spring. Nourishing the spleen also requires a calm mind, focusing on mental regulation. First, maintain a calm and peaceful state of mind to prevent the liver's qi from becoming excessive and turbulent, thus keeping the spleen and stomach peaceful and allowing their transportation and transformation functions to work normally, achieving the goal of strengthening the spleen. Second, calm the mind to nourish qi, which will not disturb the heart's blood or deplete the heart's qi, allowing the heart's qi to be full and harmonious, thereby nourishing the spleen and strengthening the stomach. For the ever-changing spring weather, it is essential to maintain a peaceful state of mind. Only when your emotions are in harmony, combined with dietary conditioning, will the effect of strengthening the spleen be significant.
Moxibustion Preservation
Spring is the beginning of the growth of yang and the decline of yin, so yang should be nourished. In spring, all things grow, and the liver qi corresponds internally; the way of health preservation focuses mainly on nourishing the liver. Because the human body is prone to excessive liver qi in spring, the principle of moxibustion therapy is to soothe and regulate the liver qi to prevent it from becoming overly excessive and invading the stomach, causing a series of symptoms of disharmony between the liver and spleen such as stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. For soothing the liver qi, Zhangmen and Taichong acupoints are primary. For strengthening and supplementing the spleen and stomach, Zusanli, Zhongwan, and Tianshu acupoints are generally chosen. This not only enhances physical fitness but also has slimming and beautifying effects for women.
Exercise Preservation
In early spring, the weather is unpredictable, alternating between warm and cold. When exercising in the morning, do not wear too little clothing; if you are sweating profusely, do not remove too much clothing to avoid catching a cold or triggering respiratory diseases. After the cold winter, the functions of various body organs, including muscles, are at a low level. Therefore, it is crucial to fully warm up before exercise to allow muscles and ligaments to relax completely, preventing injuries from a sudden increase in exercise volume. Secondly, the amount of exercise should be moderate to avoid excessive physical exertion and over-fatigue.
Dietary Health Tips for the Rain Water Solar Term
Recommended Foods: Lotus seed, red date, glutinous rice, Chinese yam, sugarcane, white rice, and green leafy vegetables. People prone to allergies in early spring should pay special attention to nourishing the spleen and stomach. Regulating the spleen and stomach can effectively improve the body's immune function. People with a healthy spleen and stomach generally suffer few allergic reactions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the spleen and stomach belong to the element Earth, which is characterized by being honest and thick and has the function of generating all things. Physiologically, they digest food, transport essence and nutrients, and nourish the five zang-organs, six fu-organs, and the entire body, making them the source of qi and blood production. Sweet-flavored foods can strengthen the spleen and replenish qi, such as red dates, Chinese yam, lotus seeds (with the core), honey, sugarcane, white rice, and glutinous rice, which should be the main foods. In the dry north, drink more congee; in the damp and cold south, soups are good for nourishing the spleen and stomach. Green leafy vegetables should be eaten in moderation to soothe the liver and regulate qi, which can help with the "heatiness" and constipation that appear in early spring.
Foods to Eat in Moderation: Bamboo shoots, chicken, beef, seafood, hawthorn, barbecue, and cold drinks. Bamboo shoots, chicken, beef, and seafood are "trigger foods" and should be eaten less by those with allergies. Oranges, dark plums, and hawthorn are sour and astringent, which is not conducive to the rise of liver qi, so do not eat too much of them. Hot, spicy, stimulating, and greasy foods like hot pot and barbecue can increase the accumulation of internal heat in the intestines. Combined with exposure to wind and cold, this can easily trigger skin rashes or eczema, so they should be eaten less or not at all. Mixing hot and cold food in a meal is also harmful to the digestive system. In the gentle spring, eat more gentle foods.
Foods to Avoid: Liver, raw scallions, frog, snake, soft-shelled turtle, lamb, chili, pepper, and white liquor.
Related Links: Dietary Therapy Recipes for the Rain Water Solar Term
Kumquat and Chinese Yam Millet Porridge
Ingredients: 20g kumquat, 100g fresh Chinese yam, 50g millet, 15g sugar. Wash the kumquat and slice it for later use.
Method: Peel the Chinese yam and slice it. Place the yam slices, kumquat slices, and washed millet in a pot. Add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer into a thick porridge. Add sugar and serve. It has the effect of soothing the liver and strengthening the spleen.
Amomum and Fish Soup
Ingredients: 150g fresh crucian carp, 3g amomum seeds, 6g dried tangerine peel, appropriate amount of ginger, scallion, and salt.
Method: Scale and gut the fresh crucian carp, then wash it. Place the amomum seeds inside the carp's belly. Then put the carp and dried tangerine peel in a clay pot. Add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, add ginger, scallion, and salt, and simmer until the soup is thick and fragrant. It has the effect of awakening the spleen, stimulating the appetite, and removing dampness.
Rose Cake
Ingredients: 1500g glutinous rice flour, 3500g rice flour, 250g walnut meat, 500g red dates, 300g sugar, 60g rose petals.
Method: Wash the red dates and walnut meat and chop them into small pieces. Place the glutinous rice flour and rice flour in a basin. Add an appropriate amount of water, then add sugar, red dates, walnut meat, and rose petals. Mix with 500ml of water, knead into a dough, and shape into a cake. Steam the cake in a steamer for about 25 minutes. It has the effect of soothing the liver and regulating qi, strengthening the spleen, and warming the stomach.
Immortal's Porridge
Ingredients: 30-60g fleeceflower root, 100g japonica rice, 3-5 red dates, appropriate amount of brown sugar.
Method: Decoct the fleeceflower root to get a concentrated juice, then strain out the dregs. Cook the japonica rice and red dates in a clay pot with the juice. When the porridge is almost done, add a small amount of brown sugar or rock sugar to taste, and cook for a little longer until it boils.
This porridge has the effect of nourishing qi and blood, and benefiting the liver and kidneys. It is commonly used for liver and kidney deficiency, premature graying of hair, dizziness and tinnitus from blood deficiency, weak lower back and knees, constipation, as well as hyperlipidemia, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, neurasthenia, and hypertension.
Silver Ear Porridge
Ingredients: 3g silver ear, 50-100g rice, appropriate amount of rock sugar (or white sugar).
Method: Clean and wash the silver ear, and wash the rice. Cook them together in a pot. When cooked, add rock sugar (or white sugar). Take once daily.
This recipe has the effect of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys. It is suitable for spontaneous sweating, night sweats, spermatorrhea, back pain, leucorrhea in women, etc.
Chrysanthemum, Pagoda Tree, and Green Tea Drink
5g each of clean chrysanthemum, pagoda tree flower, and green tea. Place them in a porcelain cup. Brew with boiling water, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Drink as a tea substitute. It can clear heat and reduce "fire."