Health preservation during the Minor Cold solar term

Liu Tingting

The Minor Cold solar term falls around January 5th every year. There is a folk saying: "Minor Cold and Major Cold, cold turns into ice balls."; As the name suggests, Minor Cold marks the arrival of severe cold. On the surface, the Major Cold seems colder, but meteorological data shows that the Minor Cold is often the coldest period among the 24 solar terms. The coldest days of the year fall within the Minor Cold solar term, as the saying goes, "The coldest days of the year are in the third nine."

The name "Minor Cold" originated from the ancient calendar of the Yellow River Basin. The "Collected Explanations of the Seventy-Two Solar Terms" records: "At the beginning of the month, the cold is still mild..." The saying "The first half of the month is the most cold" has been used by ancient people to distinguish between major and minor cold spells based on the fact that the cold is still mild at the beginning of the month and intensifies at the first half of the month. This belief has been in use up to now. In the old days, farmers in the Yellow River Basin would use the "Jiujiu Xianghan Tu" to withstand the cold winter. Nowadays, medicinal diets and hot pot have become the top choices for the public to keep warm and stay warm. However, many people only focus on taking tonics in large quantities without restraint. Especially young people, who consider themselves physically strong, overeat and have an imbalance between cold and heat. Over time, this can easily damage their bodies and pose health risks.

Sun Simiao, a renowned health preservation expert of the Tang Dynasty, once said: "The foundation of a peaceful life must rely on food." Those who do not know the proper way to eat cannot survive. Food can eliminate pathogenic factors and stabilize the internal organs, highlighting that diet is the core of health preservation and strengthening the foundation. Minor Cold falls during the coldest period of the year, the ninth of winter. Winter tonics are in line with the natural order, but one must avoid doing so blindly or casually. The "Dietary Guidelines" of the Yuan Dynasty issued a warning: Diet is originally for health preservation. If one does not understand the compatibility and incompatibility of food properties and flavors and eats randomly, it may lead to imbalance of internal organs at best and cause various diseases at worst. Therefore, when taking tonics in winter, one should follow their constitution and have a balanced diet to avoid an imbalance of the five flavors that can harm the body. Young people should also combine their own characteristics and take tonics scientifically.

Young people have a vigorous metabolism. Compared with the elderly, they need more protein and calories. In daily life, they should ensure the intake of staple foods, have a reasonable combination of coarse and fine grains, and supplement high-quality fats in moderation to meet the body's functional needs. However, contemporary young people often have a penning for rich, greasy, spicy and stimulating foods, which can easily trigger acne (pimples), becoming a common health concern.

Acne is a chronic inflammation of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands, and is often closely related to endocrine disorders and emotional stress. Teenagers secrete excessive male hormones, which can lead to a large amount of sebum secretion, clog hair follicles, cause sebum accumulation, and eventually result in acne. To prevent and regulate, the first step is to do a good job in daily care: wash your face with warm water, keep it clean, eat less greasy, spicy and cold food, eat more vegetables and fruits, and keep your bowels moving smoothly. Do not squeeze pimples with your hands to avoid leaving permanent acne marks and scars. In traditional Chinese medicine, acne is classified into four major syndrome types: wind-heat in the lung meridian, damp-heat in the spleen and stomach, imbalance of the Chong and Ren meridians, and heat accumulation with blood stasis. They are respectively regulated with Pipa Qingfei Decoction, Longdan Xiegan Decoction, Modified Xiaoyao SAN, and modified Siwu Decoction. When having acne, one must not use medicine randomly on their own. It is important to seek medical attention promptly based on the syndrome differentiation.

Since ancient times, it has been believed that one should nourish oneself during the coldest days of winter to avoid illness in the coming year. After the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn, the human body's internal organs and qi and blood are often depleted. Reasonable winter tonics during Minor Cold can not only replenish qi and blood and resist the cold, but also strengthen the body's foundation and reduce diseases in the coming year, making health preservation twice as effective with half the effort. Winter tonics mainly focus on warm tonics, combining dietary and medicinal tonics to nourish the body gently.

✅ tonic herbs: ginseng, astragalus, donkey-hide gelatin, Cordyceps sinensis, polygonum multiflorum, wolfberry, angelica sinensis, etc. ✅ warm and nourishing meats: lamb, dog meat, chicken, duck, eel, turtle, prawns, etc. ✅ mild dietary supplements: walnuts, jujubes, longans, sesame seeds, yams, lotus seeds, lilies, chestnuts, etc.

Ingredients: 500 grams of mutton, 150 grams of yam, an appropriate amount of ginger, scallion, pepper, Shaoxing wine and salt Method: Cut the mutton into pieces and blanch them in boiling water to remove the blood scum. Smash the scallions and ginger, and soak the yam until it expands. Put all the ingredients into the pot together, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until tender and soft. Season to taste and it's ready. Functions: Tonifies the spleen and stomach, benefits the lungs and kidneys, dispels cold and warms the body.

Ingredients: 500 grams of dog meat, 7 grams of dodder, 3 grams of aconite slices, an appropriate amount of scallions, ginger, salt and monosodium glutamate Method: Blanch the dog meat in boiling water, stir-fry it in a pan to remove the fishy smell, and add Shaoxing wine. Put it in a clay pot, cook the medicinal herbs and the gauze bag together. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 2 hours and season. Functions: Warms the spleen and stomach, warms the kidney Yang, suitable for people who are afraid of cold and have a cold constitution.

Ingredients: Dried mushrooms, green peppers, carrots, vegetable oil, yellow wine, starch, sesame oil and other seasonings in appropriate amounts Method: Cut the ingredients into thin shreds, blanch them in boiling water, stir-fry in a pan, season with a thickened sauce, drizzle with sesame oil and serve. Functions: Strengthening the spleen and eliminating stagnation, moistening dryness and relieving greasiness, balancing warmth and tonifying dry heat.

Ingredients: Loofah, tomatoes, glutinous rice, an appropriate amount of scallions, ginger, salt and monosodium glutamate Method: Cook the glutinous rice until it is 80% done, add the loofah and seasonings, and simmer slowly. Finally, add the tomatoes and simmer for a while. Functions: Clearing heat and reducing internal heat, promoting the production of body fluids and relieving irritability. Long-term consumption can improve and prevent acne. It is suitable for teenagers.

From China.org.cn