The Grain Buds solar term falls in late May when temperatures rise significantly. Sleeping in cold environments during this period may trigger rheumatism and damp-related skin conditions. In Grain Buds health preservation, we emphasize the principle of "preventing illness before it occurs." This means implementing preventive measures before symptoms appear to ward off disease.In daily diets, we can consciously incorporate foods that both dispel dampness and strengthen spleen-stomach function to achieve this preemptive goal.
After Grain in Ear, the weather gradually grows hotter with increasing rainfall, heralding the arrival of a sultry, humid summer. At this time, nature's yang energy is already quite abundant, reaching a state of "Grain in Ear."Given these climatic characteristics, the key to health preservation now lies in preparing to "ward off heat and dampness."
As the saying goes, "Summer heat often carries dampness," meaning the heat of summer most readily invades the body alongside dampness.In truth, dampness often infiltrates and lies dormant within the body during this period. By the time of the Great Heat solar term, when dampness becomes the dominant pathogenic factor, summer heat and dampness will interact internally and externally, trapping people in dampness-related afflictions. This can trigger numerous issues such as rheumatism, athlete's foot, acne, gynecological inflammation, edema, and obesity.
As bodily fluids are depleted more rapidly during summer, it is crucial to focus on clearing heat, generating fluids, and quenching thirst. Given the dual presence of summer heat and dampness during this period, daily practices should emphasize clearing heat, draining dampness, dispelling summer heat, and transforming dampness. Traditional Chinese Medicine associates the late summer season with the spleen among the five organs, making spleen-nourishing practices appropriate. According to TCM health preservation principles, excessive dampness harms the spleen, so daily diets should moderately incorporate sweet-cool or sweet-cold foods.However, note that bitter foods possess purgative, drying, and astringent properties and should not be consumed excessively. During intense summer heat, people often crave cold beverages and drink copiously, making the body susceptible to dampness invasion. When external dampness penetrates internally, it solidifies water-dampness in the spleen, disrupting the ascending and descending functions of the spleen and stomach. This impairs the body's transformation and transportation functions, leading to fluid retention and symptoms like loss of appetite.Therefore, summer diets should incorporate foods that promote diuresis and dispel dampness. This strengthens the spleen and harmonizes the stomach. A robust spleen restores its ascending and descending transport functions, facilitating fluid metabolism and dampness elimination. Principle Two: Clear the Heart, Disperse Summer Heat, Clear Heat, and Detoxify. Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that summer corresponds to summer heat, with the heart as the organ associated with this season. It is appropriate to nourish the heart with light, cooling tonics.The heart prefers coolness and sour flavors. Foods like wheat products are beneficial, along with moderate amounts of pork, plums, peaches, olives, pineapples, and celery. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes harmony between heaven and humanity, and the balance of yin and yang. Thus, it is advisable to consume more foods that are cold in nature and sour in taste during summer, while avoiding pungent and warming foods.However, excessive consumption of raw foods and cold beverages should be avoided to prevent damaging the body's vital energy and triggering illness.
Principle Three: Strengthen the Spleen and Nourish the Stomach, Tonify Qi and Nourish Yin.
As summer arrives with its intense heat, the body's energy expenditure increases. On one hand, it urgently requires replenishment of nutrients and bodily fluids; on the other, the hot and humid climate can easily lead to deficiency in the spleen and stomach's vital energy, causing gastrointestinal dysfunction.Therefore, dietary principles should focus on strengthening the spleen and stomach. Prioritize soups, broths, and juices—dishes that are liquid-rich, light, appetite-stimulating, and easily digestible to achieve health preservation. Simultaneously, minimize or avoid greasy, heavy, or fried foods. Portion sizes should be moderate, adhering to the principle of eating smaller meals more frequently.For individuals already experiencing symptoms such as summer heat fatigue, heat injury, summer dampness, or heatstroke mentioned earlier, according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine health preservation, it is crucial to adopt targeted dietary approaches based on syndrome differentiation. This may involve supplementing spleen and lung qi deficiency or simultaneously replenishing both qi and yin. In summary, summer heat and summer dampness represent common physiological responses in the human body during summer. The three principles outlined above are established based on the physiological phenomena or adverse symptoms frequently observed in summer.Friends should also adapt these principles flexibly in practice, considering local climatic conditions (such as the transition from warmth to heat at the spring-summer junction, or from heat to coolness at the summer-autumn junction, along with regional microclimates), individual constitutional differences, and common summer reactions.