The Health Preservation Chapter of the Start of Summer in the 24 Solar Terms

May 6th is the Start of Summer in the lunar calendar. At this time, "The Big Dipper points southeast, which is the beginning of Summer. All things grow up by this point, hence the name Beginning of Summer." At this time, the sun's ecliptic longitude is 45 degrees. In astronomy, the beginning of Summer indicates that spring is coming to an end and marks the start of summer. People generally regard the Beginning of Summer as an important solar term when the temperature rises significantly, the hot summer is approaching, thunderstorms increase, and crops enter their peak growth season. After the Start of Summer, it is a crucial period for large-scale transplanting of early rice. Moreover, the timing and amount of rain during this period are closely related to the future harvest. As the old saying goes, "If you don't work on the Start of Summer, the plows and harrows will be hung high." "Without rain on the Start of Summer, there will be no rice at the pestle." " There is also a folk custom of weighing oneself out of fear of the hot summer. It is said that after weighing oneself on this day, one will not be afraid of the hot summer and will not lose weight; otherwise, one will be plagued by illness and disasters. In Jiangxi Province, there is still a custom of drinking tea on the Start of Summer. It is said that if one does not drink tea on the Start of Summer, they will suffer throughout the summer. As early as in ancient times, emperors often went outside the city to welcome the summer at the beginning of the season. The day of welcoming the summer was called the Start of Summer. In the "Monthly Orders" chapter of the "Book of Rites", it explains the beginning of summer as follows: "蝼 the cricket chirps, the earthworm emerges, the king melon grows, and the bitter vegetable sprouts." At this time of year, frogs start to chirp about the arrival of summer, earthworms are busy helping farmers loosen the soil, and wild vegetables on the ridges of the fields in the countryside are all competing to emerge from the soil, growing day by day. When people stroll in the countryside, fields or on the beach in the early morning, facing the rosy glow of early summer, you will feel the deep affection of nature from this gentle sunlight. The "Suwen: Great Treatise on the Regulation of the Spirit by the Four Qi" states: "In the third month of summer, this is called the 'exotic beauty'." The interaction of the qi of heaven and earth leads to the flourishing of all things. The three months of summer refer to the period from the Start of Summer to before the Start of Autumn, including six solar terms: Start of Summer, Minor Fullness, Busy Sowing, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat and Major Heat. The Start of Summer and Minor Fullness fall around the fourth lunar month and are called early summer (the beginning of summer). As the weather gets warmer and plants thrive, this season is conducive to the physiological activities of the heart. Therefore, when people encounter the solar terms, they should follow them. Therefore, throughout the summer health preservation, special attention should be paid to the care of the heart. The "Theory of the Origin and Development of Medicine" states: "The heart is the master of the entire body. All the internal organs and bones obey the heart, thus it is the monarch." The heart houses the spirit, thus it is used by the divine. In traditional Chinese medical literature, the term "heart" is interpreted as the heart of flesh and blood and the heart of the spirit. The heart of flesh and blood refers to the substantial heart. The divine mind refers to the function of receiving and reflecting external things and engaging in activities such as consciousness, thinking, and emotions. The "Introduction to Medicine" states: "The heart shape of the flesh and blood is like an unopened lotus, located below the lungs and above the liver." The Heart of the deity... "Dominating all things, the spirit of emptiness is not confused." " The physiological functions of the heart: It governs blood circulation and the mind. The heart governs blood vessels, which includes two aspects: governing blood and governing meridians. Blood refers to blood, and pulse refers to the vascular vessels, also known as meridians, which are the channels through which blood flows. The heart is connected to the blood vessels, forming a closed system and serving as the hub of blood circulation. The heart keeps beating, driving the blood to circulate ceaselessly in the blood vessels throughout the body, serving as the driving force for blood circulation. The nutrients carried by the blood can nourish the entire body, ensuring that the five internal organs, limbs, bones, muscles, skin and hair, as well as the whole body, are all nourished to maintain their normal physiological functions. When the heart function is normal, the pulse is gentle and forceful, the rhythm is uniform, and the complexion is rosy and lustrous. If the heart is diseased, there will be poor blood flow, empty and lackluster blood vessels, weak and fine pulse, blood stasis, and blocked blood vessels, resulting in bluish-purple lips and tongue, a feeling of oppression and tingling in the precordial area, and a constricted, rapid or sluggish pulse. The main spirit is the mind that governs the spirit and the mind that stores the spirit. In traditional Chinese medicine, the term "god" can be divided into broad and narrow senses. In a broad sense, "god" refers to the external manifestations of the entire human body's life activities. It encompasses the human body's image, complexion, eyes, speech, response, and the posture of body movements, etc. In a narrow sense, "god" refers to the consciousness governed by the heart, mostly referring to a person's spirit, consciousness, thinking activities, etc. In Tibetan iconography, it is believed that essence and energy are the material basis for constituting the human body and maintaining its life activities, and they are also the material basis for the formation of the divine. The spirit is born from the innate essence and energy. As soon as the embryo is formed, the spirit of life is produced. During the process of human growth and development, the spirit relies on the nourishment of the essence and energy of water and food in the postnatal period. As stated in "Ling Shu: Ping Ren Jue Gu", "The spirit is the essence and energy of water and food." The physiological functions of the mind governing the spirit and will also encompass two aspects. First, under normal circumstances, the mind of the deity accepts and reflects objective external things, and conducts mental, conscious and thinking activities. Secondly, the mind of the divine is the master of human life activities and holds the primary position among the internal organs. Only under the unified command of the mind can the five internal organs and six viscera carry out normal and coordinated activities. The physiological characteristics of the heart are manifested as follows: First, the heart is a Yang organ and governs Yang qi. That is to say, the heart is the sun among the Yang energies. The Yang energy of the heart can promote blood circulation, sustain human life activities, and keep them full of vitality. Therefore, it is metaphorically referred to as the "sun" of the human body. The "Medical Truth Yi" states: "Because man and heaven and earth are in harmony. Heaven has a sun, and so does man. The Yang of the ruler and father is the sun." The Yang heat energy of the heart not only maintains its own physiological functions but also has a warming and nourishing effect on the whole body. The heart is the organ of fire, illuminating all things. Therefore, the maturation and transformation of the spleen and stomach, the warming and evaporation of Yang, as well as the metabolism of body fluids and the regulation of sweat throughout the body, are all inseparable from the significant role of heart Yang. Secondly, the heart should be in harmony with the summer energy. That is to say, human beings and nature form a unified whole. The waxing and waning of Yin and Yang in the four seasons of nature are interrelated and mutually responsive with the functional activities of the five internal organs of the human body. The heart is connected with the summer qi, which means that the heart Yang is most vigorous and has the strongest function in summer. During the Start of Summer solar term, people often wear light clothes and thin quilts. Even those in good health should be cautious of catching a cold from the outside. Once they fall ill, they should not use diaphoretic agents easily to avoid excessive sweating and heartbreak. The elderly should pay more attention to avoiding blood stasis and qi stagnation to prevent the onset of heart disease. Therefore, during the season of the Start of Summer, one should be cheerful and carefree, and avoid extreme joy that may harm the heart. In the morning, you can have a little onion. For dinner, it is advisable to drink a small amount of red wine to smooth the flow of qi and blood. When it comes to dietary adjustment, we should focus on a diet that is low in fat, salt, multi-dimensional and light. Here are several suitable recipes for you. Lotus Leaf and Phoenix Breast: [Ingredients] 2 fresh lotus leaves, 30g ham, 250g bone-free chicken, 50g rehydrated mushrooms, 12g cornstarch, salt, sugar, chicken oil, Shaoxing wine, scallions, ginger, pepper, monosodium glutamate, and sesame oil in appropriate amounts. [Method] Cut the chicken and mushrooms into thin slices. Cut the ham into 10 slices. Cut the scallions into short sections and the ginger into thin slices. Wash the lotus leaves, blanch them briefly in boiling water, remove the stems and stems, and cut them into 10 triangular pieces for later use. Blanch the mushrooms thoroughly in boiling water and then remove them. Rinse them under cold water. Put the chicken and mushrooms in a plate together, add salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, pepper, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, chicken fat, cornstarch, scallion sections and ginger slices, and stir well. Then place them on 10 triangular lotus leaves, add one slice of ham to each, wrap them in rectangular buns, stack them in the plate, and steam for about 2 hours. If placed in a pressure cooker, it only takes 15 minutes. After taking it out of the steamer, you can turn the original plate over to another clean plate, open the package and it's ready to eat. [Functions] It nourishes the heart with a refreshing fragrance and boosts the spleen's qi. It can be used as a commonly used tonic, especially suitable for dietary supplementation in summer. Houttuynia cordata mixed with Lettuce: [Ingredients] 50g Houttuynia cordata, 250g lettuce, 10g garlic, 10g scallion, an appropriate amount of ginger, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, monosodium glutamate and sesame oil. [Preparation] Remove impurities and old roots from the Houttuynia cordata, wash it, cut it into sections, blanch it in boiling water, then take it out. Add salt and stir well to marinate for later use. Peel and remove the leaves from the lettuce, rinse it thoroughly, cut it into 1-inch-long thick shreds, and marinate it with salt. Drain the water and set it aside. Wash the scallions, ginger and garlic, then chop them into scallion flowers, ginger mince and garlic grains and set them aside. Put the shredded lettuce and Houttuynia cordata in a plate, add soy sauce, monosodium glutamate, vinegar, chopped scallions, minced ginger and minced garlic, stir well, drizzle with sesame oil and it's done. [Functions] Clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting diuresis and eliminating phlegm. It has a good therapeutic effect on symptoms such as lung heat cough, excessive and thick phlegm, yellow and scanty urine, and heat pain. Longan Porridge: [Ingredients] 25 grams of longan, 100 grams of glutinous rice, a little sugar. [Method] Put longans and glutinous rice together in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and cook into porridge. Season with sugar and it's done. [Functions] Tonifies the heart and spleen, nourishes blood and calms the mind. It is especially suitable for conditions such as overwork that harms the heart and spleen, excessive thinking, physical weakness, forgetfulness and loss of worry, and menstrual regulation. Note: When drinking longan porridge, avoid alcohol, strong tea, coffee and other such foods. From China.org.cn