Beginning of spring time in the Year of the Tiger in 2022 is 4: 50: 36 a.m. on February 4th.
Beginning of spring is the beginning of the calendar, the beginning of everything, representing the meaning of the beginning of everything and the renewal of everything.
So, from the perspective of TCM health, what should we pay attention to in spring?
Spring is the season of hair growth, and human hair growth mainly depends on liver qi. If spring does not fully germinate, summer will lack enthusiasm and there will be insufficient growth and development.
However, if the liver qi is particularly strong in spring, it will destroy the functions of other organs of the body, so it is necessary not only to generate hair, but also to reasonably transform and excrete it, which cannot be suppressed.
Liver qi is excreted by the gallbladder meridian, and the liver and gallbladder meridians are both exterior and interior. Therefore, in spring, people often have symptoms such as bitter mouth and shoulder pain, which are all manifestations of obstruction of gallbladder channels and unfavorable excretion.
As the saying goes, "fire hurts the liver." As mentioned above, spring is the season to protect the liver, so spring should pay special attention to the influence of emotional fluctuations on the body. Spring is most afraid of stagnation of liver-qi. To strengthen the liver, we must first pay attention to emotional regulation and learn to control anger. Try to be calm and optimistic.
Su Wen's theory of storing qi in Huangdi Neijing states that "the liver wants to disperse, eating pungent food urgently to disperse it, supplementing it with pungent food, and purging it with acid", and the acidity converges into the liver meridian, which is not conducive to the growth of yang and the release of liver qi. Therefore, beginning of spring should eat less acidic food and more spicy and divergent products. To sum up, beginning of spring's diet should be less acidic and more spicy to help.
In addition, vegetables include mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, spinach, leeks, celery, lettuce, Chinese toon, coriander, bamboo shoots, garlic sprouts, onions and so on. And longan, chestnuts, red dates and the like. It is good for qi and blood, and it is also a good food to eat in spring. Also note that spring is not suitable for tonic, and the diet should be light and peaceful. Appropriate nutrition, avoid greasy, spicy, fried, eat more fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Here, I'd like to introduce a medicine especially suitable for spring-Bupleurum chinense.
Bupleurum is bitter and slightly cold; Enter the liver and gallbladder meridian. It has the effects of harmonizing exterior and interior, soothing the liver and promoting yang. Bupleurum DC It is a special medicine with the characteristics of clearing away heat, resolving hard mass and stopping diarrhea. Many famous doctors like to use it, such as Dr. Zhang Zhongjing. Xiaochaihu decoction, which we are familiar with now, is a classic prescription of Zhang Zhongjing in Treatise on Febrile Diseases. Chaihu soothes the liver and raises yang, so it is especially suitable for treating diseases in spring. If you feel bitter and cold occasionally, you can eat Xiaochaihu pills or granules.
Of course, you shouldn't take medicine indiscriminately. If you don't feel well, you still have to see a doctor. Follow the doctor's instructions.
Spring is the season from cold to warm, and everything grows. "Spring life, long summer, autumn harvest and winter storage" contains the essence of TCM health preservation in keeping with the four seasons. In this season, conforming to nature, keeping fit reasonably, preventing diseases and keeping in good health will certainly lay a solid foundation for human health.