Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the kidney is the innate foundation and the root of life, and the kidney corresponds to winter qi, so it is most suitable to tonify the kidney, consolidate essence and astringe yang in winter. Huangdi Neijing said: "The kidney wants to be strong, so it needs to be supplemented by suffering." Chinese medicine believes that bitterness enters the heart, yin and yang belong to yin, and the five elements belong to fire, so bitterness belongs to yin fire. Bitter taste can help heart fire to drain kidney water and strengthen kidney yin, thus achieving the interaction of yin and yang and the balance of fire, water and ji ji.
Bitter products are divided into two categories. A kind of bitter temperature, such as black tea and almonds. Fire can produce soil, so bitter and warm products can warm spleen and soil, and have the effect of drying dampness and strengthening spleen. A bitter cold, such as green tea and lotus seed core, can clear away heat and evil fire in the small intestine. Xiaoxue eats bitter food and should be symptomatic.
In winter, yang tends to be restrained and yang tends to be exuberant. People who are physically strong or eat spicy meat at ordinary times may be prone to symptoms such as bitter mouth, dry mouth and thirst, sore throat, chest tightness, Huang Chi's urine, insomnia and dreaminess. At this time, they can drink green tea properly and eat grapefruit, grapefruit, arrowhead, bitter gourd, chicory and lettuce, which is helpful for clearing away heat and purging fire, diuresis and moistening intestines.
However, people who are not warm in hands and feet, afraid of cold and like warm, have loose stools and have long urine are often cold, so it is not appropriate to eat too much of the above-mentioned bitter and cold products, otherwise it will easily aggravate yang deficiency. Black tea, almond, wormwood leaf, cardamom, dried tangerine peel, polygala tenuifolia and other bitter and warm products can warm spleen and dry dampness, warm kidney and strengthen yin, and can be matched with tea and diet.