Rain Water is the second solar term in the 24 solar terms. It occurs around the 15th day of the first lunar month (February 18-20 in the Gregorian calendar), when the sun reaches 330 degrees of ecliptic longitude. At this time, temperatures rise, ice and snow melt, and precipitation increases, hence the name Rain Water.The period of the Rain Water solar term generally begins on February 18 or 19 and ends on March 4 or 5. Like Grain Rain, Light Snow, and Heavy Snow, Rain Water is a solar term reflecting precipitation phenomena.
The Commentary on the Seventy-Two Hexagrams of the Lunar Calendar states: "In the middle of the first lunar month, Heaven gives birth to water.Spring begins with wood, yet water is essential for nurturing wood. Thus, Rain Water follows the Start of Spring. Moreover, the east wind melts the ice, dispersing it into rain." This signifies that around the Rain Water solar term, all things begin to stir, heralding the arrival of spring. The Book of Yi Zhou records phenological observations such as "wild geese arrive" and "plants begin to sprout" after Rain Water.
With the arrival of the Rain Water solar term, nurturing the spleen and stomach is crucial.
In spring, liver qi flourishes, and liver wood easily overpowers spleen earth. Thus, improper spring health practices can easily damage the spleen. After the Rain Water solar term, cold and damp pathogens most readily afflict the spleen, making spleen care a priority around this time.
Weather remains unpredictable during Rain Water, so continue practicing "spring bundling."The principle is to "wear thicker on the lower body and thinner on the upper body," with emphasis on covering the back, abdomen, and soles of the feet. Keeping the abdomen warm helps prevent indigestion and cold-induced diarrhea, protecting the spleen and stomach yang qi from cold pathogens.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that liver qi tends to become excessively vigorous in spring. When liver wood is strong, it overpowers spleen earth, adversely affecting the spleen and stomach and hindering normal digestion and absorption. Therefore, during the Rain Water solar term, dietary focus should be on nourishing the spleen.Sweet foods nourish the spleen, so increase intake of yam, jujube, millet, glutinous rice, coix seed, cowpea, lentil, soybean, carrot, taro, sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, longan, and chestnut. Reduce sour foods and limit raw, cold, or greasy items to protect spleen-stomach yang energy.
It is also advisable to consume more porridge to nourish the spleen and stomach. Porridge was praised by ancient sages as "the foremost tonic for nourishing the body." Made primarily from rice with water as its base, the fusion of water and grain creates a dish that is not only sweet and palatable but also easy to digest and absorb. It effectively nourishes the spleen and stomach, clears impurities, and promotes clarity.Additionally, keep dinner light. Overeating at night may cause indigestion and disrupt sleep, as the saying goes: "When the stomach is unsettled, sleep is disturbed."
Five Principles for Nourishing the Spleen and Stomach During the Rain Water Season
1. Mental Regulation
"Anger, grief, and fear all harm vital energy." Therefore, cultivate mental calmness, curb excessive desires, and avoid unnecessary exertion to preserve vital energy.
2. Balancing Activity and Rest in Daily Life
Maintain regular routines and balance work with rest.This means aligning with nature to protect vitality, following the rhythms of seasonal change. Adjusting life's pace according to time, space, and climate helps strengthen the spleen and stomach, nurture acquired constitution, and prolong longevity.
3. Food Restrictions
In the first lunar month, minimize consumption of warming foods like dog meat, lamb, and sparrow meat.Avoid pungent-warming foods like Sichuan pepper and fennel. Do not consume raw onions or garlic; peanuts should be boiled rather than stir-fried. 4. Dietary Adjustments Spring brings warming weather, yet it remains windy and dry with cooler mornings and evenings. Increasing wind pathogens often cause dry skin, mouth, tongue, and chapped lips. Therefore, increase intake of fresh vegetables and juicy fruits to replenish bodily fluids.
As spring marks the season of new beginnings and the rise of yang energy, reduce consumption of greasy foods. Instead, incorporate red dates, Chinese yam, lotus seeds, chives, spinach, citrus fruits, honey, and sugarcane to prevent excessive yang dispersion. Otherwise, overactive liver wood may harm spleen earth.
During this solar term, northern regions favor porridges like lotus seed porridge, Chinese yam porridge, or red date porridge. Southern regions, especially the Pearl River Delta, prefer soups such as monkey head mushroom and fresh chicken soup, poria and Chinese yam with lean pork soup, spinach and beef slices soup, or Chinese yam, astragalus, and pork stomach soup.
When temperatures are damp and cold, nourishing soups are also beneficial for the spleen and stomach, such as stewed waterfowl with cordyceps, stewed chicken feet with mung beans and peanuts, or stewed pork belly with goji berries and Chinese yam.
When using Chinese herbs for tonification, consider the characteristics of spleen and stomach function. Methods to invigorate yang energy for spleen and stomach tonification may include American ginseng, sand ginseng, cassia seeds, and white chrysanthemum.
During the Rain Water solar term, the liver's yang energy, liver fire, and liver wind rise alongside spring's ascending yang energy. Therefore, special attention should be paid to ensuring the smooth flow and regulation of liver qi. Nature bursts with vitality, especially in the south where all things flourish. Those practicing health preservation should also invigorate their spirits, radiate vigor, focus their aspirations inward, and engage their bodies in purposeful activities.
Sun Simiao, a Tang Dynasty health expert, stated in his Thousand Gold Prescriptions: "During spring's seventy-two days, reduce sour flavors and increase sweet ones to nourish spleen energy." In the Five Elements theory, the liver corresponds to wood (sour taste) while the spleen relates to earth (sweet taste), with wood overcoming earth. Thus, spring diets should minimize sour foods and emphasize sweet ones to nurture spleen energy.Suitable choices include chives, Chinese toon, lily bulbs, pea shoots, chrysanthemum greens, shepherd's purse, spring bamboo shoots, Chinese yam, lotus root, taro, radish, water chestnuts, and sugarcane.
The Thousand Gold Monthly Orders states: "In the first month, porridge is advisable... First, Rehmannia porridge to nourish the kidneys."Take 150g fresh rehmannia root, pound into juice and set aside. Wash 50g japonica rice, add appropriate amount of rock sugar, and place in a pot with sufficient water. Cook into porridge, then pour in the fresh rehmannia juice. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Second: Fangfeng porridge, used to dispel wind from the limbs. Take one portion of fangfeng root, decoct into broth, strain the liquid, and use it to cook porridge.Third: Perilla Porridge. Take one portion of perilla leaves, stir-fry until slightly yellow and fragrant, then decoct the liquid to cook porridge. Avoid raw, cold, sticky, or mixed foods to prevent damaging the spleen and stomach. 5. Medicinal Nourishment Consider the spleen and stomach's ascending and descending metabolic functions. Use methods to promote yang energy and regulate the spleen and stomach.Recommended herbs include: - Saponaria root (Saponaria officinalis) - American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) - Cassia seeds (Cassia tora) - White chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) - Polygonum multiflorum powder (Polygonum multiflorum) - Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Decoction for Tonifying the Middle and Benefiting Qi)Rain Water is the third solar term within this initial phase. The earth energy (primary energy) of the Gengyin year's initial phase is Jueyin Wind Wood, while the sky energy (secondary energy) is Shaoyin Sovereign Fire. Earth energy arises from the Earth's revolution around the sun, while sky energy stems from the varying influences on Earth caused by the orbital cycles of the planets (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) around the sun. The combination of earth and sky energies forms the climate within specific spatiotemporal conditions on Earth.
The initial qi of the "Five Movements and Six Qi" theory spans the three months of spring, a season associated with the liver. While the earth qi (Jueyin Wind-Wood) of the initial qi remains constant throughout history, the heaven qi varies. For the Gengyin year, the heaven qi of the initial qi is Shaoyin Sovereign Fire. Shaoyin Sovereign Fire represents the climate bridging spring and summer, yet it arrived during the Great Cold period—60 days earlier than expected.The human body's Jueyin meridians include the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian and the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian; the Shaoyin meridians comprise the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian and the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian. Integrating terrestrial and celestial factors, the spring of the Gengyin year was a "warm spring." From Rain Water to Start of Spring, temperatures were warmer than usual for 15 days, rainfall gradually increased, and winds were light.