The Summer Solstice Health Preservation Chapter of the 24 Solar Terms

June 21st is the summer solstice. At this time, the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer, making it the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Although the Summer Solstice has the longest day and the highest Angle of the sun, it is not the hottest time of the year. Because the heat near the ground surface is still accumulating at this time and has not yet reached its peak. As the saying goes, "The heat is in the three dog days of summer." The true hot weather is calculated based on the Summer Solstice and the Beginning of Autumn. From mid-July to mid-August, temperatures across China are at their highest, with some areas experiencing the highest temperatures reaching around 40 degrees Celsius. The Summer Solstice is the earliest festival in China. Before the Qing Dynasty, on the summer Solstice, the whole country had a one-day holiday and people would go home to reunite with their families and enjoy drinking. The Book of Rites also records the obvious phenomena of the Summer Solstice solar term in nature: "When the Summer solstice comes, the antlers of deer come to an end, cicadas start to chirp, half summer begins to grow, and hibiscus flowers bloom." It indicates that at this time of year, deer antlers can be cut, cicadas start to chirp, and pinellia and hibiscus plants gradually blossom and flourish. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the Summer Solstice is the time when Yang energy is at its peak. In terms of health preservation, one should follow the characteristic of summer when Yang energy is abundant on the outside, pay attention to protecting Yang energy, and focus on the word "growth". The "Great Treatise on the Regulation of the Four Qi and the Spirit" in the "Suwen" states: "To make one's mind free from anger, to make one's talents become outstanding, and to allow the qi to be released, if one's love is outside, this is the response of the summer qi and the way to nourish growth." That is to say, in summer, one should have a clear mind and a peaceful spirit, be happy and cheerful, have a broad mind and be full of energy. Just as all things need sunlight to grow, one should have a strong interest in external things and cultivate an optimistic and outgoing personality to facilitate the smooth flow of qi. On the contrary, any kind of slackness, weariness, anger or depression hinders the smooth flow of qi and is not appropriate. Ji Kang's "Treatise on Health Preservation" has its unique perspective on the scorching summer. It holds that in summer, when it is hot, "it is even more appropriate to regulate one's breath and calm the mind, always keeping the heart as warm as ice and snow. The heat will also be reduced in one's heart. One must not let heat become heat and create more heat." That is "A calm mind brings natural coolness", which here refers to the mental adjustment in summer health preservation methods. It is advisable to adjust one's daily routine to adapt to the natural changes of abundant Yang and deficient Yin, and to go to bed late and get up early. In summer, it is hot. "Summer heat can easily damage qi." If one sweats too much, it can cause dizziness, chest tightness, palpitations, thirst, nausea and even coma. When arranging outdoor work and physical exercise, one should avoid the scorching sun and enhance protection. Arranging the lunch break reasonably not only helps avoid the heat but also restores the feeling of fatigue. Taking a warm bath every day is also a fitness measure worth promoting. It can not only wash away sweat and dirt, keeping the skin clean, cool and preventing diseases in summer, but also achieve the purpose of exercising the body. Because the water pressure and mechanical massage effect during a warm water shower can reduce the excitability of the nervous system, dilate the blood vessels on the body surface, accelerate blood circulation, improve the nutrition of the skin and tissues, lower muscle tension, eliminate fatigue, improve sleep and enhance immunity. In addition, in summer, it is hot and 腠理 is open, making it easy to be invaded by wind, cold and dampness. When sleeping, it is not advisable to use fans or other devices to blow air. In rooms with air conditioning, the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors should not be too large, and it is even more inappropriate to sleep outdoors at night. Exercise for health preservation is also one of the indispensable factors in health preservation. Summer sports are best carried out in the early morning or evening when the weather is cooler. The venues should be chosen in places with fresh air such as the banks of rivers and lakes, parks and courtyards. Those who have the conditions can go to forest or seaside areas for convalescence and vacation. It is advisable to choose exercises such as walking, jogging, Tai Chi and radio calisthenics. One should avoid overly intense activities. If one exercises too vigorously, it can lead to profuse sweating. Excessive sweating not only harms the Yin energy but also damages the Yang energy. During physical exercise, when sweating excessively, it is advisable to drink light salt water or mung bean salt water soup in moderation. One must not drink a large amount of cold water, nor immediately rinse the head or take a shower with cold water, otherwise it may cause various diseases such as cold-dampness arborgia and yellow sweat. In terms of dietary adjustment, there is a saying that heart fire is dominant in summer, and excessive heart fire can harm the metal of the lungs (from the perspective of the Five Elements). Therefore, the "Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet" states that "one should not eat the heart in summer." According to the interrelationship among the Five Elements (summer represents fire), the Five Elements (summer represents growth), the five internal organs (belonging to the heart), and the Five Flavors (preferring bitterness), foods with a bitter taste can also assist heart qi and control lung qi. Summer is also a season of excessive sweating. With more sweating, more salt is lost. If the heart muscle lacks salt, the heart's beating will become abnormal. According to traditional Chinese medicine, at this time, it is advisable to consume more sour foods to strengthen the exterior and more salty foods to nourish the heart. The "Suwen: Zang Qi Fa Shi Lun" states: The heart governs summer. "When the heart is bitter and slow, one should quickly consume sour food to neutralize it." "When the heart desires 耎, one should quickly consume salty food to neutralize it. Use salty food to nourish it and sweet food to purge it." That is to say, the qi is well stored and soft, so it is salty and soft. From the perspective of Yin-Yang theory, during the summer months, Yin is hidden within. One should not consume overly cold food. As stated in "Yishenji", "In summer, the heart is strong while the kidneys are weak. Even though it is extremely hot, one should not eat cold washed ice and snow, honey water, cold jelly, or cold porridge." "Hunger and cold will surely lead to cholera." " When the heart is strong and the kidneys are weak, it means being hot on the outside and cold on the inside. Because it is hot on the outside and cold on the inside, cold food should not be eaten in large quantities. A little is fine, but excessive consumption will surely harm the spleen and stomach and cause vomiting and diarrhea. Watermelon, mung bean soup and plum and bean soup are excellent choices for quenching thirst and relieving summer heat, but they should not be eaten chilled. According to the relationship between the internal organs in traditional Chinese medicine, "If the kidney has no heart for fire, the water will be cold; if the heart has no kidney water, the fire will be intense." The heart must be nourished by kidney water, and the kidneys must be warmed by heart fire. From this, it is not difficult to see the important relationship between the heart and the kidneys. In summer, the climate is hot and people's digestive functions are relatively weak. Therefore, the diet should be light and not rich or greasy. One should eat more coarse grains to cool the body and avoid excessive consumption of hot-natured foods to prevent additional heat. Cold fruits and vegetables should be eaten in moderation and not in excess to avoid damaging the spleen and stomach. Rich and greasy foods should be consumed in moderation to avoid generating heat and wind, which may trigger furuncles. Summer Recipe: Lotus Leaf and Poria Cocos Porridge: [Ingredients] 1 lotus leaf (fresh or dried), 50 grams of poria cocos, 100 grams of glutinous rice or millet, and an appropriate amount of white sugar. [Method] First, boil the lotus leaves to make a soup and strain out the residue. Then, add the poria cocos and washed glutinous rice or millet to the medicinal soup and cook them together into porridge. Before serving, add the white sugar to the pot. [Functions] It can clear heat and relieve summer heat, calm the mind and soothe the spirit, and stop diarrhea and dysentery (it is also effective for cardiovascular diseases and neurasthenia). Cold mixed lettuce: [Ingredients] 350 grams of fresh lettuce, an appropriate amount of scallions, sesame oil, monosodium glutamate, salt and sugar. [Method] Wash the lettuce, peel it, cut it into long strips and small pieces, place them in a plate, add fine salt and stir. Marinate for 1 hour, strain out the water, add monosodium glutamate and sugar and mix well. Chop the scallions into scallion flowers and sprinkle them over the lettuce. Heat the pan and add sesame oil. When the oil is hot, pour it over the scallion flowers and stir well. [Functions] Benefits the five internal organs and unblocks the meridians. Cream Winter Melon Balls: [Ingredients] 500g winter melon, 20g condensed milk, 10g cooked ham, an appropriate amount of salt, fresh soup, sesame oil, water starch, and monosodium glutamate. [Method] Peel the winter melon, wash it and cut it into small round balls. Boil it briefly in boiling water and then pour in cold water to cool it down. Place the winter melon balls in a large bowl, add salt, monosodium glutamate and fresh soup, and steam over high heat for 30 minutes. Take them out. Put the winter melon balls back into the basin. Pour the soup into the pot, add condensed milk and bring to a boil. Then thicken with water starch. Add the winter melon balls to the pot, drizzle with sesame oil and stir well. Finally, sprinkle with minced ham and serve. [Functions] Clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting the production of body fluids and relieving irritability, tonifying deficiency and weakness, and benefiting the spleen and stomach. Rabbit Meat Spleen Strengthening Soup: [Ingredients] 200g rabbit meat, 30g Chinese yam, 15g wolfberry, 15g Codonopsis pilosula, 15g Astragalus membranaceus, 30g jujube. [Method] Wash the rabbit meat and cook it together with other ingredients over high heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 2 hours. Consume the soup and meat together. [Functions] Strengthening the spleen and benefiting qi. In addition, scrambled eggs with tomatoes is also a seasonal dish in summer. From China.org.cn