We are currently in the Long Summer season of traditional Chinese medicine's five seasons. This is the perfect time to nourish the spleen and stomach by skillfully incorporating various yellow grains, fruits, and other foods into your diet. But do you know which common yellow foods are beneficial for strengthening the spleen and stomach? How should individuals with different constitutions choose suitable yellow foods? Professor Huang Suiping, a renowned Guangdong TCM practitioner and Director of the Gastroenterology Department at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, offers expert advice.Why do yellow foods nourish the spleen and stomach? TCM holds that the spleen and stomach form the foundation of acquired constitution. Professor Huang Suiping explains that ancient Chinese practitioners, through long-term practice, divided the year into five seasons: spring, summer, late summer, autumn, and winter. Late summer corresponds to July and August in the solar calendar, encompassing the solar terms Minor Heat, Major Heat, Start of Autumn, and End of Heat.The spleen corresponds to the earth element in the Five Elements theory, and the long summer season aligns with the earth element. Hence, it is said that the long summer is the most suitable time to nourish the spleen earth.
Drawing from extensive experience in health-preserving diets, the five colors and flavors correspond to the five organs: white nourishes the lungs and pungent flavors; red nourishes the heart and bitter flavors; green nourishes the liver and sour flavors; yellow nourishes the spleen and sweet flavors; black nourishes the kidneys and salty flavors. This means white foods benefit the lungs, red foods benefit the heart, green foods benefit the liver, yellow foods benefit the spleen, and black foods benefit the kidneys. Thus, during the Long Summer (July and August), consuming yellow foods is recommended to nourish the spleen and stomach.
From a modern nutritional perspective, yellow foods are rich in vitamins A and D. Vitamin A protects the intestinal and respiratory tract mucosa, reducing the incidence of conditions like gastritis; vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, strengthening bones and muscles. Thus, modern nutrition also recognizes that regular consumption of yellow foods can enhance spleen and stomach function, promoting digestion and nutrient absorption.
Choosing yellow foods based on constitution
Huang Suiping reminds us that while yellow foods nourish the spleen and stomach, individuals have different constitutions. Foods also vary in nature—some are cooling, others warming—so it's crucial to distinguish and select foods suited to one's physical condition.
Below are the properties and benefits of some common yellow foods.
Whole Grains and Legumes
Pumpkin: Sweet and neutral in nature, it enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It moistens the lungs, fortifies the spleen, and replenishes qi. Suitable for spleen-stomach deficiency, malnutrition, and burns. Those with epigastric pain, impaired spleen-stomach qi circulation, frequent bloating and belching, or damp-heat should consume sparingly. Contraindicated for individuals with beriberi or jaundice.
Yellow corn, sweet and neutral in nature, enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It clears heat, dispels dampness, promotes urination, and relieves constipation. Suitable for those with yellow, greasy tongue coating due to damp-heat and habitual constipation. Not recommended for diabetes or yin deficiency with excessive fire constitution.
Millet, sweet and cool in nature, enters the kidney, spleen, and stomach meridians. It fortifies the spleen, harmonizes the stomach, and nourishes deficiency. It effectively addresses spleen-stomach deficiency-heat and vomiting, suitable for those with a red tongue and sparse coating indicating yin deficiency with excessive heat. Not recommended for those with stomach cold.
Sweet potatoes, with a sweet and warm nature, enter the Stomach meridian. They tonify the spleen and stomach, nourish qi, and harmonize blood. Suitable for those with spleen-stomach deficiency, emaciation, and fatigue. Excessive consumption may cause acid reflux, heartburn, and gastrointestinal bloating. Not recommended for diabetics.
Carrots, sweet and neutral in nature, enter the lung and spleen meridians. They strengthen the spleen, aid digestion, moisten the intestines, and relieve constipation. They are highly effective for poor appetite, abdominal distension, and blurred vision. However, those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold should avoid them.
Potatoes, sweet and neutral in nature, enter the stomach and large intestine meridians. They benefit qi, strengthen the spleen, regulate the middle burner, and harmonize the stomach. They are suitable for those with spleen-stomach qi deficiency and malnutrition.Excessive consumption may cause acid reflux, heartburn, and gastrointestinal bloating. Yellow Fruits Citron (佛手), pungent and bitter in nature, warm in property, enters the liver, spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. It regulates liver qi, harmonizes the stomach, and alleviates pain. Suitable for liver-stomach qi stagnation, chest and rib discomfort, epigastric fullness, poor appetite, and vomiting. Those with yin deficiency with fire but no qi stagnation symptoms should use with caution.
Mango, sweet, sour, and cool in nature, enters the lung and large intestine meridians. It benefits the stomach, stops vomiting, generates fluids, and quenches thirst. Suitable for dry mouth and throat, poor appetite, dizziness, and vomiting. Use with caution for diabetes and nephritis. As a tropical fruit, mango may transform dampness-heat if dampness-toxin stagnation is present. Overconsumption may lead to symptoms like a thick yellow tongue coating.
Pineapple, sweet and neutral in nature, enters the Stomach and Kidney meridians. It relieves summer heat, quenches thirst, stimulates appetite, and aids digestion. Suitable for malnutrition, indigestion, enteritis with diarrhea, summer heat syndrome, body heat with thirst, poor appetite, low blood pressure, difficult urination, dizziness, and blurred vision. Similar to mango, excessive consumption may exacerbate damp-heat.Additionally, the protein in eggs combines with the fruit acids in pineapple, causing the protein to coagulate and impairing digestion. These two should not be consumed together.
Papaya, sour and neutral in nature, enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It aids digestion, stimulates appetite, generates fluids, and quenches thirst. Suitable for those with poor digestion. Pregnant women and individuals with allergies should consume with caution. Excessive intake may lead to dampness.
Sour Longan (Huangpi), pungent, sweet, sour, and warm in nature, enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. It promotes qi circulation, alleviates pain, strengthens the stomach, and reduces swelling. Suitable for those with food stagnation, abdominal distension, hernia pain, phlegm accumulation, cough, and wheezing. Due to its potent qi-moving effect, it is unsuitable for pregnant women and those with qi deficiency.
Yellow Seasonings
Honey, sweet and neutral in nature, enters the Spleen, Lung, and Large Intestine meridians. It tonifies the middle, moistens dryness, relieves pain, and detoxifies. Suitable for coughs, dry throat, mouth ulcers, and constipation associated with yin deficiency patterns. Use with caution for diabetes or heavy dampness. Those prone to acid reflux, heartburn, or hunger-related stomach pain should also consume sparingly.
Ginger, pungent and slightly warm in nature, enters the Spleen, Lung, and Stomach meridians. It induces sweating to resolve exterior pathogens, warms the middle to stop vomiting, and is suitable for common colds, stomach pain due to cold, cold-induced vomiting, food poisoning, and motion sickness. Use with caution for those with yin deficiency with internal heat, hepatitis, or diabetes.
Recommended Dietary Recipe
Golden Porridge for Strengthening Spleen and Nourishing Stomach
Ingredients: 150g pumpkin, 20g codonopsis root, 50g rice, 50g lean meat. (Serves 2)
Method: Peel and dice pumpkin. Place pumpkin, washed codonopsis root, rice, and lean meat in a pot. Add water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer gently.
Benefits: This porridge, simmered with yellow foods and herbs, offers a rich, flavorful, and nutritionally balanced meal. It is suitable for those with weak spleen and stomach, deficiency of qi and blood, or malnutrition. It is also ideal for post-illness recovery and for new mothers.
Pumpkin is especially suitable for summer consumption. The Diannan Materia Medica records pumpkin as warm in nature, sweet in taste, non-toxic, and entering the spleen and stomach meridians. It can tonify the middle (spleen and stomach), boost qi, moisten the lungs, resolve phlegm, harmonize and nourish blood, expel parasites, detoxify, quench thirst, and relieve wheezing.
Additionally, Codonopsis root (Dangshen), with its yellow color and sweet taste, enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It tonifies the middle burner, boosts qi, generates fluids, and nourishes blood. It is recommended for those with spleen qi deficiency. However, compared to Astragalus (Huangqi), Codonopsis has a weaker qi-tonifying effect. Therefore, individuals with pronounced qi deficiency may add 20 grams of Astragalus to enhance the qi-tonifying effect when using both together.
Caution: Pumpkin is unsuitable for these individuals
Those with fever should avoid pumpkin as it hinders fever reduction; individuals with sore throats may experience worsened symptoms; excessive damp-heat in the spleen and stomach may be exacerbated by pumpkin consumption; those with dampness-heat conditions like beriberi or jaundice should also refrain. By Zhou Jieying, All-Media Reporter