Strawberries: Strawberries are a seasonal spring fruit known for their ability to reduce internal heat, relieve summer heat, and clear heat. During spring, people often experience heightened liver fire, and eating strawberries can help suppress this. Additionally, strawberries are best consumed after meals because they contain abundant pectin and fiber, which promote gastrointestinal motility, aid digestion, alleviate constipation, and help prevent hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer.
Pomelo: Pomelo boasts a refreshing fragrance, sweet-tart flavor, and cooling properties. Rich in nutrients and medicinal value, it is packed with carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, and various minerals. Its inherently cooling nature makes pomelo effective for reducing internal heat.During autumn dryness, drinking freshly squeezed sugarcane juice is optimal. Traditional Chinese medicine often employs sugarcane juice as a cooling, fluid-generating agent to treat heat-related conditions. It is particularly beneficial for children experiencing fluid deficiency, stomach heat with bitter taste, dry stools, difficult urination, or lung-heat cough.
Citrus: Traditional medicine considers citrus cool in nature with a sweet-sour taste. It promotes fluid production, relieves coughs, moistens the lungs, and dissolves phlegm. It is effective for babies with insufficient fluids and thirst, aiding in the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis. Juicing citrus or stewing it with honey is highly effective for preventing lung-heat coughs.
Watermelon: Cool in nature, it does not cause internal heat or restlessness. Rich in potassium salts, it replenishes significant potassium loss in the body. Note: Do not refrigerate watermelon for more than 3 hours.
Tomatoes: Most abundant and sweetest in summer, they are also highly nutritious. They clear heat, detoxify, and calm liver fire.
Citrus fruits: Traditional medicine holds that citrus fruits are cool in nature with a sweet and sour taste. They promote fluid production, relieve coughs, moisten the lungs, and dissolve phlegm. They are beneficial for babies with insufficient fluids and thirst, and aid in treating acute and chronic bronchitis. Juicing citrus fruits or simmering them in honey is highly effective in preventing lung-heat coughs.
Bananas: While commonly regarded as the best food for clearing heat, traditional Chinese medicine classifies bananas as sweet, cool, and slightly astringent with no toxicity. They clear heat, quench thirst, cool the stomach and blood, moisten the intestines, relieve constipation, lower blood pressure, and promote urination. They are especially beneficial for those with yin deficiency, intestinal dryness, blood heat, or qi stagnation manifesting as thirst or constipation.However, individuals with inherently weak spleen and stomach or insufficient yang energy may experience adverse effects from bananas, which can exacerbate deficient heat.