Valley Rain
Amebu Momoya
Today ushers in the valley rain solar term.
Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms and the last solar term of spring. Gu Yu is taken from the meaning of "rain gives birth to a hundred grains", "Qunfang Spectrum" records that "Gu rain, Gu gets rain and is born", and "Seventy-two Candidate Explanations of the Moon Order" says that "in March, since the rain, the soil paste pulsates, and now it rains its valley in the water".
The main feature of the Guyu solar term is that the amount of rainfall increases, and the humidity in the air further increases. At this time, the seedlings in the field are first planted, and the crops are newly planted, and the most need is moistened by rain, and the rainfall is sufficient and timely for cereal crops to thrive. After the valley rain, the temperature rise rate is also significantly accelerated, so there is a saying that "the snow is broken during the Qingming Festival, and the rain is broken by the frost".
Phenological phenomenon of valley rain solar terms
At the beginning, Ping was born, the second wait, the dove brushed its feathers, and the third wait, the hoopoe descended to the mulberry.
This means that five days after the rain season, the rainfall gradually increases, and duckweed begins to grow, and on the fifth day, cuckoos and turtle doves begin to dance to remind people to hurry up and sow seeds, and on the other five days, hoopoes often fly down on mulberry trees.
Gu Yu solar term health preservation
The season of valley rain has reached the late spring, in the south, after the valley rain, there is a feeling of heat, often accompanied by night rain and day stop weather, humid and rainy is the climate characteristics at this time.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dampness is yin and evil, which is easy to damage yang qi and easily hurt the spleen and stomach. If people are a little careless in their daily life and diet, they are easy to feel dampness, and there are symptoms of spleen deficiency and dampness such as poor appetite, loose stools, diarrhea, body sleepiness, joint and muscle soreness and discomfort.
Therefore, in addition to conforming to the spring to nourish the liver and protect the yang, we should also pay attention to strengthening the spleen and dispelling dampness.
Daily life: Lie down at night and get up early to nourish the liver
In the spring, people's schedules should be adjusted, going to bed late and waking up early (sleeping late here means sleeping later than in winter). Proper outdoor exercise after waking up early in spring can follow the opportunity of spring, promote gas exchange and turbidity in the body and abroad, and make people energetic.
Attire: Keep warm in the morning and evening to prevent cold
The temperature difference between morning and evening is large in the rainy season, so you should pay attention to increasing or decreasing clothes when going out. However, it is also necessary to prevent catching a cold due to excessive clothing and sweating and undressing, and especially pay attention not to blow the wind after sweating. Especially for the elderly with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, it is easy to lead to the recurrence of old diseases after catching a cold.
Diet: Strengthen the spleen, invigorate qi and promote dampness
After the valley rain solar term, the air humidity increases, and the temperature gradually rises, which is easy to form the evil of humidity and temperature. "Dampness and spleen soil" can cause loss of appetite, abdominal distention, body sleepiness, muscle and joint soreness, sticky or unformed stools. You can choose some foods that have the effect of dispelling dampness, such as white lentils, Huaishan, seeds, barley, red adzuki beans, winter melon, tangerine peel, etc. However, avoid eating raw, cold, fatty and greasy things, so as not to further damage the spleen and stomach and aggravate the dampness and stagnation in the body.
You can also drink tea in moderation to dispel dampness and heat. Before and after the valley rain is the climax of tea picking, the Ming Dynasty "Tea Shu" talks about the season of tea picking: "Qingming is too early, the beginning of summer is too late, before and after the valley rain, the time is moderate." As the so-called "tea decoction Gu Yu Chun", Gu Yu tea refers to the spring tea picked in the Gu Yu season, also known as Erchun tea, its tea leaves are delicate and fragrant, the taste is good, and the aroma is pleasant.
During the valley rain, the weather becomes hotter, there is more rain, and the southern region is prone to the phenomenon of dampness and heat steaming, and people often feel dizzy and sleepy. At this time, drinking Guyu tea (especially green tea) appropriately can clear away heat and dampness, dissolve turbidity and awaken the mind, smooth the body's qi, and sweep away the symptoms of fatigue and drowsiness.
However, it should be noted that green tea is cool, and drinking too much on an empty stomach is easy to hurt the stomach and damage yang, so it should be drunk after meals. In addition, tea contains theophylline and caffeine, which has a strong excitatory effect on the central nervous system, and drinking it at night will affect sleep, so insomnia and dreamy friends should not drink tea at night.
Exercise: Gentle stretching to relieve spring sleepiness
Guyu solar terms increase the amount of exercise and help to expel moisture from the body. However, exercise should avoid wading in the wind and cold, it is advisable to participate in aerobic exercises such as jogging, skipping rope, playing ball, etc., and you can also play tai chi, practice yoga, take a walk, do more soothing exercises, and avoid sweating.
Emotional: Peace of mind, refrain from irritability
During the rainy season, the rainfall increases, the air humidity is high, and the human liver qi is vigorous, which is easy to affect the spleen's function of transporting water and dampness and aggravates the dampness, resulting in people's mood swings, or irritability, or depression.
If the mood is depressed, the liver is depressed, and the dampness and heat are endogenous, it can affect the endocrine function and cause acne and other problems on the skin. If a person with high blood pressure gets angry, it will increase the risk of stroke. Therefore, in the rainy season, we should maintain a calm mind, be optimistic, do not be impatient, and learn to decompress ourselves.
Acupuncture points: press and knead Taichong, Yinling Spring
Taichong acupoint
In the rainy season, the human body's yang qi grows, and it is easy to have a strong liver fire. Frequent massage of Taichong acupoint has an obvious effect of soothing the liver and purging fire. In the depression behind the two horizontal fingers of the extension line between the hallux and the second toe in the direction of the instep, press the thumb and fingertips with appropriate force to find the point with the strongest pain, and then repeatedly push and rub in the direction of the big toe seam.
Yin Ling Spring
Yinling Spring is the joint acupoint of the spleen meridian, and it is also the key acupoint for dispelling dampness. The acupoint is located on the inner side of the lower leg of the human body, in the depression of the inner tibia below the knee. Massage 60 times each acupoint on the left and right legs, once a day in the morning and once in the evening, and feel soreness at the acupuncture points.
Moxibustion: Straighten and dispel dampness
In view of the characteristics of dampness and temperature in the rainy season, and easy to hurt the spleen, moxibustion can achieve the purpose of warming yang, relieving dampness, and clearing the pulse. On the one hand, it can improve the function of the spleen and stomach, remove dampness, and on the other hand, it can help healthy qi and prevent diseases before they occur.
Acupuncture point 1: Zusanli
The foot is 3 inches below the outer knee and one finger outside the anterior tibial crest. Moxibustion can prevent diseases and strengthen muscles and bones. Moxibustion can be used for moxibustion, that is, after igniting the moxa sticks, place them at a distance of about 3 cm from the skin, and moxibustion for 20 minutes.
Hole position 2: Middle elbow hole
The middle navel point is located in the front midline of the human body, 4 inches above the navel, and can be suspended with moxa. The middle navel acupoint is the intestine meeting of the eight acupoints and the recruitment acupoint of the stomach, which has the effect of warming the spleen and relieving pain.
Hole 3: Heavenly Pivotal Hole
The middle navel point is located in the abdomen of the human body, 2 inches next to the navel, and moxibustion can be suspended with moxa. Moxibustion Tianshu acupoint can promote intestinal peristalsis, enhance gastric motility, and help treat abdominal distention, bowel sound, diarrhea, acute gastroenteritis, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, etc.
Gu Yu focuses on nourishing the three organs
01 Prevent injury to the spleen
The rainy season is the alternation of spring and summer, when the liver qi is gradually weakened, the spleen and stomach function is gradually flourishing, and the person's digestive ability is gradually enhanced, which is conducive to the absorption of nutrients.
When the dampness offends the spleen, it is easy to cause the spleen to lose its health, spleen and stomach disharmony, and poor appetite and other discomforts. Therefore, Gu Yu should pay attention to the maintenance of the spleen and stomach, and must cooperate with the diet.
At this time, in addition to eating ingredients that strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness, you can also eat fresh wild vegetables in spring, such as shepherd's cabbage, spinach, marantou, toon, dandelion, etc., to clear away heat and detoxify, awaken the spleen and appetize.
In addition, to nourish the spleen, you also need to pay attention to chewing and swallowing slowly, being full on weekdays, not eating cold, eating less sweet, less sedentary, less thinking, not being strong, and often pressing three miles when you are free.
02 Dispel gallbladder fever
Spring is the season when everything grows, and many people experience discomforts such as migraines, dizziness, sore throat, red eyes, and increased blood pressure. Most of these problems are concentrated in the liver and gallbladder and can be relieved by massaging or tapping the liver and gallbladder meridians.
In daily life, we should pay attention to avoid staying up late, and eat ingredients with moisturizing effects, such as white fungus, mulberry, honey, etc., to moisturize and soften the liver, and prevent excessive liver yang.
In addition, to restrain the gallbladder fire and nourish the liver wood, I recommend you to drink black plum white sugar and three beans. The method is to prepare 20g of black beans (black beans should be made of black skin and green pulp), soybeans and mung beans, 5~10 black plums, and 2 spoons of sugar. Put all the ingredients in a casserole, add water to cover the three knuckles of the beans, and boil for 2 hours. This drink can clear the heat of the liver and gallbladder and replenish the deficiency of deficiency.
However, it should be noted that black plum is a medicinal black plum, which can be purchased at regular pharmacies, and this soup should not be eaten overnight, and it is best to drink it on the same day when it is cooked.
03 Replenish liver and blood
Many people will feel drowsy and weak in spring, which is caused by the lack of liver blood and the lack of yang energy. For people with this symptom, you can try to use chrysanthemums and wolfberries, jujube and honey to soak in water, which can effectively relieve the feeling of drowsiness and tiredness.
In addition, traditional Chinese medicine believes that the liver can see things by storing blood. Excessive eye use for a long time will not only affect vision, but also easily damage liver blood. Therefore, the rainy season is the most important to protect the eyes.
Gu Yu solar term diet prescription
Lotus seed millet porridge
Ingredients: 100 grams of millet, 50 grams of lotus seeds.
Method: Wash the millet, remove the core of the lotus seeds, wash and mash them, then put them in the pot with the millet, add an appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat first, and then slowly cook over low heat until the porridge is formed.
Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen, removes dampness and relieves diarrhea. It is suitable for people with spleen deficiency and heavy dampness and loose stools.
Four gods porridge
Ingredients: 10 grams of white poria cocos, 10 grams of Chinese yam, 10 grams of lotus seeds, 10 grams of seeds, and an appropriate amount of japonica rice.
Method: Remove the heart of lotus seeds, wash the japonica rice, put all the ingredients into the pot, turn to low heat after boiling, and simmer for about 1 hour.
Efficacy: Strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness, nourish the heart and calm the nerves, Poria cocos has the effect of whitening.
Pork rib soup with barley
Ingredients: 50 grams of seeds, 50 grams of barley, 10 grams of tangerine peel, 3 slices of ginger, 500 grams of pork ribs.
Method: Fry the barley in a pot until it is slightly yellow, soak the seeds, wash the tangerine peel, wash the pork ribs and blanch them, then put all the ingredients into the pot, add an appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat first, then boil over low heat for 2 hours, add salt to taste and eat.
Efficacy: Strengthen the spleen, relieve dampness and awaken the stomach. It is especially suitable for people with spleen deficiency and dampness, heavy sleepiness, and poor stomach.
Sanren lotus seed pork bone soup
Ingredients: 3 grams of sand kernels (broken), 15 grams of coix seeds, 15 grams of almonds (peeled), 15 grams of lotus seeds (cored), 1 clove of tangerine peel, 2 dates, 400 grams of pork bones, a little ginger, appropriate amount of salt.
Cooking: Put the washed ingredients into a soup pot and add an appropriate amount of water to boil for 1.5-2 hours, season with salt.
Efficacy: Before and after the valley rain, the dampness and evil in the Lingnan area are pervasive, and there is a saying in the "Differentiation of Warm Disease" that "dampness is yin and evil, and it is not warm and incomprehensible." "It is proposed that warm medicine should be used to treat dampness. Sand kernels warm the spleen and dampness, coix seeds are moist, almonds promote lung cough, with tangerine peel to dissolve phlegm, lotus seeds to strengthen the spleen and invigorate qi, Sanren lotus seed pork bone soup has the effect of strengthening the spleen and dissolving dampness, promoting qi and stomach, expectorant and relieving cough, suitable for phlegm in the throat caused by dampness before and after the valley rain, loss of appetite, drowsiness, abdominal distension and discomfort, sticky stool, white and greasy tongue and other discomforts.
Kudzu liver tea
Ingredients: 3 grams of arrowroot, 3 grams of wolfberry, 6 grams of fried cassia seeds, 3 grams of licorice. Add an appropriate amount of boiling water and bake for 5-10 minutes, then drink with slag.
Efficacy: Hangover, liver protection, eye brightening. It is especially suitable for people who often drink alcohol, stay up late, and have a hot liver. ■
[Source: Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Haizhu District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, etc.