May 5th marks the "Beginning of Summer" (Lixia), the first solar term of the summer season according to the traditional Chinese calendar.

 

The arrival of Lixia signifies the beginning of the hot summer. As temperatures gradually rise and humidity increases, the body's various organs are also influenced by the change of season.

 

Facing the shift in the natural climate, our health preservation strategies should also be adjusted to align with nature.

 

After Lixia, focus on 3 key points for health preservation.

 

Combining with the characteristics of the solar term after Lixia, health preservation should pay special attention to these aspects:

 

1. Nourishing the Heart and Protecting Yang Energy

 

Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes "nurturing yang in spring and summer," and nourishing yang is crucial for summer health. "Yang" is the foundation of life; health preservation in spring and summer is about nurturing yang energy. When yang energy is sufficient, one is less likely to get sick.

 

Nourishing yang primarily focuses on nourishing the heart. High temperatures after Lixia can easily cause emotional irritability, leading to excessive heart fire and triggering various illnesses. This is particularly common in the elderly, where emotional fluctuations and external climatic factors can easily lead to arrhythmia and elevated blood pressure.

 

 

Therefore, it is especially important to cultivate mental well-being. Daily life should involve calming the mind through activities like fishing, playing chess, gardening, meditation, or practicing standing postures to relieve emotions and strengthen heart care. Avoid extreme joy or anger, maintain a pleasant mood, and keep a clear mind and calm spirit.

 

2. Nourishing the Spleen and Stomach

 

After Lixia, loss of appetite is common due to the hot and dry climate. This is actually a reflection of damp-heat accumulating internally, leading to a lack of power in the digestive system's transportation and transformation functions.

 

If spleen energy is insufficient, the consumed food cannot be smoothly transformed into vital nutrients, or even if transformed, these nutrients cannot be smoothly transported to the various organs.

 

Therefore, the diet should be light, with less consumption of overly salty or oily foods. It is especially important to eat less cold drinks; overly cold or iced foods often damage the spleen and stomach first.

 

3. Paying Attention to Dispelling Dampness

 

After Lixia, increased rainfall leads to humid air, making the body prone to generating dampness. Thus, it is particularly important to guard against damp-heat obstructing the spleen. There is a saying, "Summer heat often carries dampness," meaning that summer heat is most likely to invade the human body together with damp evil.

 

Adzuki beans, Chinese yam, and coix seeds are all excellent "dampness-dispelling" ingredients! Additionally, perilla leaves and ginger can be added to daily meals to help dispel dampness and strengthen the spleen.

 

 

Regular Consumption of Reishi Mushroom for Health Preservation in Lixia Can Nourish the Spleen and Stomach and Protect the Spirit.

 

After Lixia, the weather gradually becomes hot, leading to irritability, easy anger, and decreased appetite. Therefore, the diet also needs adjustment.

 

The dietary principles for Lixia primarily focus on "increasing sourness and decreasing bitterness, supplementing the kidneys and assisting the liver, and regulating stomach qi." Ingredients that dispel dampness, clear heat, and relieve summer heat, such as coix seed, cucumber, water spinach, asparagus lettuce, lotus seeds, and white gourd, are especially suitable for summer consumption.

 

 

In terms of daily diet, consider incorporating reishi mushroom to regulate the body constitution. The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic) lists reishi mushroom as a "supreme medicine" that can regulate the five internal organs. Reishi mushroom is sweet in taste and enters the spleen meridian, enabling the spleen and stomach to absorb vital nutrients properly. It enters the liver meridian, helping to expel toxins. It enters the heart meridian, aiding in calming the mind and spirit.

 

Reishi mushroom's spirit-calming effect is demonstrated not only in improving sleep but also in "calming the mind" and "relieving pain." Domestic scholars have conducted considerable research in this area, confirming that reishi mushroom can alleviate anxiety and reduce depression.

 

After Lixia, the weather gradually heats up, and it's easy to feel "restless in mind and spirit." Consider taking reishi spore powder, reishi spore oil, or similar products to nourish the heart and spirit. Of course, reishi can also be incorporated into daily meals to nourish the body and mind.

 

Reishi, Lotus Seed, and Lily Congee

 

 

[Ingredients] 20g GanoHerb Organic Purple Reishi Slices, 20g lotus seeds (with core removed), 20g lily bulbs, 100g rice.

 

[Method] Wash the purple reishi slices, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and rice. Add slices of ginger. Place all ingredients in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until well cooked.

 

[Medicinal Meal Description] Long-term consumption can clear the heart and calm the spirit, and also has a certain auxiliary effect on complications of diabetes.

 

Reishi and Lion's Mane Mushroom Stewed Pork Ribs

 

 

[Ingredients] 20g Organic Purple Reishi Slices, 20g dried lion's mane mushroom, 200g pork ribs, 3 slices ginger.

 

[Method] Soak and wash the lion's mane mushroom and shiitake mushrooms. Chop the pork ribs into pieces. Wash the reishi slices. Put all ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 hours. Season to taste.

 

[Medicinal Meal Description] The meat is fragrant and the soup is delicious. Combined with the effects of reishi in supplementing the center and boosting qi and lion's mane mushroom in strengthening the spleen and stomach, this is suitable for conditions such as liver qi stagnation, poor digestion, and low spirits.

 

Purple Reishi and Coix Seed Congee

 

[Ingredients] 10g Organic Purple Reishi Slices, 20g coix seeds, 100g glutinous rice or japonica rice, appropriate amount of white sugar.

 

[Method] Wash the purple reishi slices, coix seeds, and glutinous rice. Put them into a pot with 2 large bowls of cold water. Cook over medium heat for half an hour until the congee is soft and palatable.

 

[Medicinal Meal Description] This congee combines the effects of purple reishi in calming the spirit and aiding sleep with coix seeds in strengthening the spleen and dispelling dampness. Regular consumption helps to supplement deficiency and nourish the stomach.

 

After Lixia comes the long summer with lush green trees and dense shade. Leaves mature and melons sweeten, fruits are fragrant. The brilliant prosperity exclusive to early summer is quietly unfolding. May you have a healthy summer!