According to traditional Chinese medicine, humans are one with nature, and exist in a “unity of form and spirit.” Changes in the human body and even the occurrence of disease are often related to cyclical changes in the environment.
The ancient Chinese observed 24 solar terms. These two-week periods defined by the traditional Chinese calendar follow a predictable pattern in weather conditions. By nourishing the spirit and adjusting the diet in accordance with nature’s pattern, we are able to strengthen the body and maintain health.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that every person is unique, as are their conditions and the recommended treatments. Treatment works in a dialectical process, and it varies from person to person in accordance with natural conditions. As the saying goes, “Humanity follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao or Way, and the Dao follows what is natural.”
The 24 solar terms are able to guide farmers in cultivating the land, and serve as a guide to preserve health, because they are produced according to natural law. Just as there are 365 days in a year, there are 365 acupuncture points on the meridians of traditional Chinese medicine.
The entry and exit of the sun through the zodiac in the course of a year marks the 24 solar terms, expressed in alternating minor (yin) and major (yang) terms. The energy pattern in the body also follows the cycle of the 24 solar terms, with a focus passing from one to another of the 12 major organs (and conceptual organs as recognized by TCM) and their meridians.
Moving in a natural pattern from the lungs to the large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, pericardium, three thoracic cavities (三焦), gallbladder, and liver, the life forces in the body are synchronized with the solar terms.
Thus, as the earth experiences a change in season, people will feel the effect on both mind and body. During this period, for instance, the prevailing heat and humidity affect the heart, causing fatigue, and thus more frequent dreams.
Every year when the sun reaches 105° longitude (July 7 or 8), we enter a the solar term called Xiaoshu (小暑), or “Minor Heat.” Summer temperatures are high, but haven’t yet reached their extreme, which comes in the following period of “Major Heat.”
The Minor Heat solar term typically receives the most precipitation. Once the Xiaoshu solar term arrives, cool breezes are replaced by heat waves; and heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail, and other strong weather events are likely.
The summer heat is strongest during the days known as san fu (三伏) or “three hidings.” The days between July 11 and August 19 are divided into three (san) periods, during which the sun and heat are so intense that you should hide (fu) from them.
During these times — the middle period (July 21 through August 9) being most severe — we are no match for the heat and need to protect ourselves from it. Otherwise excessive sweating can deplete the yin qi and cause heat stroke — with symptoms like headache, irritability, fever, thirst, and night sweats. If the qi is damaged, problems such as fatigue and laziness will arise.
Seasonal foods can help us maintain balance. Fruits like mangoes and melons are of yin nature, and have a cooling effect. One of the best foods for clearing excess heat is loofah melon; it is also a delicious way to remove toxins from the body.
When the weather is hot, everything grows vigorously, and the physiological activities of the human body are also in a very active state. A lot of nutrients are consumed, yet digestive ailments are common — such as loss of appetite, stomach pain, flatulence, and indigestion. Cooking during the Slight Heat solar term thus calls for “light fragrance” to invigorate the Spleen organ group, nourish Yin, and stimulate the appetite.
Foods with light fragrance and yin-nourishing effects include edible fungi, barley, lean meat, crucian carp (鯽魚 Ji yu), shrimp, and other seasonal seafoods. Simply cooked, they are a delicious way to clear away heat, improve appetite, and provide important nutrients.
Because the heat of summer causes us to sweat, we lose a lot of nutrients. So we need not only to replenish water, but also to supplement nutrients such as zinc, calcium, and the B vitamin group.
Rice or barley porridge cooked with mung beans, lotus leaf or lentils and garnished with fresh mint is a delicious detox that can help cleanse and cool the body.
Seasonal vegetables suited to the Minor Heat term include bamboo shoots, lotus seeds, okra, fiddleheads, bitter melon, burdock root, yellow daylily buds (known as golden needle when dried), Longxucai (龍鬚菜) — the curled tendrils from chayote squash plant (Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis), sweet potato leaves, immature loofah fruit, muskmelon, cucumber, and amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri), commonly known as pigweed — a nutritious wild edible.
Seasonal mushrooms include oyster mushroom, king oyster, enoki, coral, velvet shank (Flammulina velutipes), and white fungus (Tremella fuciformis), many of which can be wild foraged.
Seasonal fruits include watermelon, mango, cherry, peach, grape, lemon, lychee, avocado, and plum.
Therapeutic recipes for Minor Heat
Shengmai Mushroom Soup
Clockwise from top right: Ophiopogon, Chrysanthemum, dangsheng, schisandra and king oyster, willow mushrooms center. (Image: Melody Shen)
Ingredients:
- Dried ginseng (Rensheng人參) (Panax ginseng), 0.5 oz. [if ginseng is too pricey, it can be substituted with dangshen (黨參) (Codonopsis pilosula), using twice the amount, or huangqi (黃芪) (Astragulus) using three times the amount.
- Mai men dong ( 麥門冬) — the dried root of creeping liriope (Ophiopogon), 1 oz.
- Wu wei zi (五味子) — dried schisandra berries, also called “five flavor fruit,” 1 oz.
(The above three traditional Chinese medicines combined are called Sheng-Mai San, and the combination of the three medicines can nourish the Heart Qi. For people who often feel tired, weak, and poor in spirit, Sheng-Mai San can replenish vitality and prevent heatstroke.)
- Dried chrysanthemum flowers(juhua 菊花), 1 oz.
- 2 or more types of fresh mushrooms (such as king oyster and willow), 8 oz. each
- Salt to taste
- 8 cups water
Method:
- Wash all the medicinal herbs and set aside.
- Wash the mushrooms, remove the dirty end of the roots, slice the oyster or other large mushrooms, and split the stems of willow mushrooms.
- Heat the water in a pot over high heat. Add the dried medicinal ingredients, and bring to a boil, then turn to low heat and continue to cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Turn to medium heat, add mushrooms. Cover and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked, three to five minutes.
- Season with salt to taste, and serve.
Hawthorn and Wumei Drink
Served chilled, this is the perfect summer drink. Hot, it can be served as a soup or tea. The taste is sweet and sour. It can relieve heat and quench thirst, with the added benefits of promoting healthy skin and weight loss.
Clockwise: wumei, hawthorn, roselle, tangerine peel, licorice root. (Image: Melody Shen)
Ingredients:
- Wumei (烏梅 Chinese dried plums) 1 oz.
- Dried hawthorn berries (Shan zha 山楂), 1 oz. (Hawthorn berries are rich in glycolic acid, iron, calcium, vitamins B2, E, and C, and good for digestion, and for improving the texture of blood and clearing impurities.)
- Dried hibiscus flower (Loushenhua 洛神花), ½ oz.
- Dried tangerine peel (陳皮 Chen Pi), ½ oz.
- Dried licorice root (甘草 Gan Cao), ¼ oz.
- Water, 3 quarts
- Chinese rock sugar, or brown sugar, to taste.
Method:
- Wash all the herbs and add them to the pot with the water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain out the herbs, then return to the pot and add rock sugar. Stir and boil to dissolve the sugar. The tea can be consumed hot, cooled or chilled.
Note: Individuals with hyperactivity, stomach issues, and those who are fasting or pregnant should limit their hawthorn consumption.
Melody Shen, L.OM. & L.Ac.
Melody Shen is the clinical licensed L.OM&L.Ac. of Pennsylvania and New York.
Her education of Chinese medicine focused on Chinese and Japanese acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Her certificate in Chinese herbal diet therapy rounds out her practice.
She was an exhibition curator, planner, marketing, brand manager, graphic designer, and writer before focusing on Traditional Chinese Medicine career. She studied history in college and art history in graduate school. She is also a big fan of music and movies.
中醫醫食廚房小暑07/07
節氣養生系列（一）：小暑 07/07/2023 4:25PM
按照中醫理論，人與自然是“形神合一”的整體。人體的變化和疾病的發生都與二十四節氣密切相關。滋養精神、調整飲食、鍛煉身體等，達到強身健體、延年益壽的目的
中醫的獨特之處在於一人一方，百人百藥，辯證施治，因人而異。即與“人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然”是一脈相承的精神。二十四節氣養生也是按照這個自然規律產生的。既能指導農民耕種，又能指導人們養生。
中醫經絡有365個穴位，自然界一年有365天，是人體與自然相通的體現。
十二經脈在在一年中的一進一出對應二十四節氣。人體五臟六腑的病症對應二十四節氣。
人體氣血運行、臟腑活動與二十四節氣同步。 人體氣血按一日十二個時辰的陰陽消長有規律地流注到十二經脈中. 可見人和自然是個統一整體, 人體氣血的運行和臟腑活動都和二十四節氣同步 節氣的變化也會引起人體身心的變化。
如果能根據二十四節氣的變化順應天氣，安排起居，調整飲食，最能達到自然養生，達到健康長壽的初衷。
每年七月七日或七月八日，太陽到達黃經105°時，稱為小暑、暑意為熱。此時天氣炎熱，但尚未達到極點，故稱小暑。而小暑盛後兩週熱數達到極點，稱為“大暑”。
小暑是全年降水最多的節氣，會有大暴雨、雷電、冰雹等天氣。小暑節氣一到，地面上就不再有一絲涼風，且所有的風都帶著熱浪。
大自然的夏日酷暑，在“三伏天”最為繁盛。 《三伏》中的“伏”字是“隱伏”的意思，也就是說，當太陽高照的時候，這個時候我們應該把自己隱伏起來，不能逆天而行，否則很容易被暑氣所傷，是為陽暑。陰暑時，津液會化為汗液排出體外，損傷陰氣，導致中暑：出現頭痛、煩躁、發熱、口渴、盜汗等症狀，當陰氣受損時，就會出現中暑的症狀。氣也會受到傷害，出現疲勞、倦怠等相關問題。
因夏季暑熱而受熱者，稱為陽暑。對付陽暑最簡單且見效最快的方法就是刮痧。刮痧可以疏通經絡、清熱解毒、醒神救厥、行氣止痛。 2023年三伏日的初伏是7/11-7/20，中伏是7/21-8/9，末伏是8/10-8/19。
這時有“小暑吃芒果”的說法，因為此時芒果大多已經成熟，正是品嚐的好時機。另外，農諺中有“六月瓜”之說，意思是瓜是消暑的佳品，因為天氣炎熱，吃什麼都容易上火，只有瓜是甜的，而且還可以消暑。不上火，尤其是絲瓜，性涼，清熱解毒，開胃解暑。
小暑節氣之美，主要以“清淡芳香”健脾養陰。清淡易消化的香氣可刺激食慾。此時天氣炎熱，萬物生長旺盛，人體的生理活動也處於十分活躍的狀態。營養消耗很多，但此時卻是消化道疾病發病率非常高的時期，如食慾不振、胃痛、脹氣、消化不良等。具有清淡清香、滋陰功效的食物，如：食用菌（香菇、銀耳）、薏米、瘦肉、鯽魚、蝦等，都適合簡單烹調，味道鮮美。不僅能清熱解暑，還能補充營養、增進食慾。
此外，還可以吃一些美味的綠豆粥、薄荷粥、荷葉粥、扁豆粥等“解毒粥”
另外，盛夏時節，人體會大量出汗，消耗大量營養。除了補充水分外，還需要適量補充鋅、鈣、維生素B族等營養物質。
小暑時令蔬菜：竹筍、蓮藕、秋葵、山蘇、苦瓜、牛蒡、金針菜、龍鬚菜、過貓、地瓜葉 絲瓜、冬瓜、大黃瓜、莧菜
蕈類：蘑菇、秀珍菇、珊瑚菇、金針菇、銀耳
水果：西瓜、芒果、櫻桃、水蜜桃、葡萄、檸檬、荔枝、酪梨、李子
小暑保健食療—–
藥膳A：生脈蕈菇湯
1人參（或黨參 黃芪）3g
2 麥門冬 3g
3 五味子 3g
（以上三種中藥稱為生脈散，三藥合用可補心氣，對於經常感到疲勞、體弱、精神差的人可以補充元氣、預防中暑）
4 菊花3克
5 杏鮑菇、柳松菇各200克
6 鹽少許
作法：
1 所有藥材洗淨待用；杏鮑菇洗淨切塊；柳菇洗淨去根部髒黑，稍微撥開蕈絲
2.鍋中加水2000ml，將藥材放入大火煮沸，再轉小火繼續煮二十分鐘
3 轉中火，將杏鮑菇、柳松菇等放入鍋中煮至熟透，加鹽調味即可
藥膳B：山楂烏梅湯（此道湯酸甜可口很適合夏天飲用，不僅可以消暑解渴，還可以美容養顏、消脂減肥）
1 烏梅 30 克
2 山楂（味甘酸、鐵、鈣、維生素B2、E 、C含量都豐富，有消食化積、 活血化瘀之功效）30g
3 洛神花 15 克
4 陳皮 12g
5 甘草7.5克
作法：
1 將所有藥材洗淨加入鍋中, 再加入3000毫升的滾水, 轉小火煮三十分鐘
2 過濾掉所有藥材，再加入冰糖攪拌煮沸均勻融化讓其冷卻即可飲用. 也可依個人喜好放置冰箱冰鎮後飲用
PS：1 山楂有增強子宮收縮的作用，所以孕婦不要吃太多，以免早產
2 胃酸過多、腸胃不好、空腹的人不要吃太多
