Spring Wellness — TCM Seasonal Food Therapy

Seasonal Food Therapy

Seasonal Recipes

• Spinach Congee: 250 g spinach, 250 g polished rice, salt and MSG to taste. Wash the spinach, blanch it briefly in boiling water, and cut into sections; cook the rice in water until tender, then add the spinach and simmer into a congee, seasoning with salt. Spinach is sweet and cool in nature and is traditionally used to nourish yin, moisten dryness, soothe the liver, and nourish the blood, and may support those with headache and dizziness associated with constrained liver qi or insufficient liver yin.
• Celery Congee: 150 g celery (with root), 100 g polished rice. Wash the celery together with its root, boil it in water, and take the strained liquid; cook it with the rice into a congee. In spring liver yang tends to stir, and this congee is traditionally used to regulate the liver and calm rising liver yang, and may support healthy blood pressure and reduce irritability.
• Goji Berry Congee: 30 g goji berries, 60 g rice. Cook the rice until half done, add the goji berries, and continue cooking until done. Traditionally used to nourish the liver and kidney and brighten the eyes; suitable for those with dizziness, dry eyes, and soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees.
• Pork Liver and Mung Bean Congee: 80 g fresh pork liver, 50 g mung beans, 80 g polished rice, salt to taste. Wash the mung beans and rice and cook together; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until about 80% done, add the sliced pork liver, cook until done, and season. Traditionally used to nourish the liver and blood and clear heat to brighten the eyes.
• Plum Blossom Congee: 5 g white plum blossoms, 80 g polished rice. Cook the rice into a congee, add the white plum blossoms, and boil for another two to three minutes. Plum blossom is neutral in nature and is traditionally used to soothe the liver, regulate qi, and stimulate the appetite.
• Stir-Fried Wood Ear with Red Dates: 15 red dates (jujubes), 15 g white wood ear (tremella), 15 g black wood ear, salt, sesame oil, scallion, and ginger to taste. Soak and wash the black and white wood ears and cut into strips; saute the ginger in oil until fragrant, add the wood ears and stir-fry, then add the split red dates and a little water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, and finish with seasoning. Traditionally used to nourish the liver, strengthen the spleen, and supplement qi and blood.

Wellness Principles

• Retire late and rise early: go to bed before 11 p.m. and rise between 6 and 7 a.m., following the lengthening daylight and the rising of yang qi in spring (Su Wen, "Discourse on the Four Seasons and the Regulation of the Spirit": retire late and rise early).
• Take broad strolls in the courtyard: go outdoors often to the courtyard or garden for walks, spring outings, and sunlight, stretching the body and breathing fresh air so that the will is enlivened and the mood is relaxed.
• Let the hair hang loose and relax the body: wear loose clothing, leave the hair untied, and avoid tight garments so that qi flows freely.
• Keep the emotions smooth and avoid anger: the liver is associated with anger, and anger harms the liver; keep an open, optimistic, and enterprising mind, and avoid losing your temper or falling into depression, so as not to constrain liver qi.
• Reduce sour and increase sweet: eat less sour flavor and more sweet-natured foods such as jujube, Chinese yam, honey, and longan to nourish spleen qi and prevent liver wood from overacting on spleen earth (Sun Simiao's "Qianjin Fang" (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold): reduce sour and increase sweet to nourish spleen qi).
• Nourish yang in spring and summer: eat more sweet, warm, gently tonic seasonal vegetables (Chinese chive, ginger, bamboo shoot, spinach, shepherd's purse) to raise yang qi, and avoid excessive cold and cool foods.
• Keep warm in spring ("spring wrapping"): the weather alternates between warm and cold, so do not shed clothing too early; keep the back warm and wear lighter clothing above and thicker below to guard against a late cold spell.
• Prefer gentle exercise: choose light, soothing activities such as walking, jogging, spring outings, kite flying, and tai chi to stretch the sinews and bones and keep the blood flowing.
• Avoid vigorous exercise and heavy sweating, which deplete yang qi and open the pores to wind and cold.
• Avoid lying in bed and oversleeping, which stagnate yang qi in the body and do not favor nourishing yang.
• Avoid greasy, raw, and cold foods and overly pungent or hot foods, which may injure the liver and spleen and stir up internal heat.

Understanding the Season

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring corresponds to the liver among the five zang-organs and to the wood phase of the five elements, and the qi of spring is connected with the liver. The liver is called the "general's organ": it governs the free flow of qi and stores blood, is associated with the emotion of anger, and opens into the eyes, and it is the main organ that regulates the qi dynamic and moves qi and blood from the interior to the exterior. The three months of spring (from the Beginning of Spring to the Beginning of Summer) are the season of "dispelling the old and bringing forth the new," when the yang qi of heaven and earth rises and the myriad things flourish; the body's qi and blood likewise rise from the interior outward, so spring health preservation centers on nourishing the liver and nourishing yang (Su Wen, "Discourse on the Four Seasons and the Regulation of the Spirit": nourish yang in spring and summer). When the emotions are unsettled, liver qi becomes constrained, and great anger harms the liver (anger makes qi rise); when liver wood is excessive it tends to overact on spleen earth, so one should reduce sour and increase sweet to protect spleen qi. Going against the qi of spring's birth means the lesser yang does not arise and liver qi changes internally, and in summer one may be prone to cold disorders (going against it harms the liver; in summer there will be cold change, and one's ability to serve the growth is diminished).

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.