Great Heat is the hottest season of the year. Its climatic characteristics are: "When the star points to Bing, it is Great Heat, at this time the weather is even hotter than in Lesser Heat, thus named Great Heat." Great Heat coincides with the middle of the three dog days, and in many parts of China, temperatures often reach 40 degrees Celsius. During this sweltering season, heat prevention and cooling measures are absolutely essential.
Great Heat is also the fastest-growing period for warm-loving crops, and it is also the season when crickets are most numerous in rural fields. In some parts of China, people enjoy playing cricket fights after meals. Great Heat is also the season with the most thunderstorms, with a saying: "If lightning flashes east, no rain will fall; if it flashes west, you won’t have time to escape." This means that in the afternoon of summer, if lightning appears in the east, rain will not come here; if lightning appears in the west, the rain will come quickly, and you won’t have time to run away. People often refer to afternoon thunderstorms in summer as "Northwest Rain," and describe it as "Northwest Rain, leaving no path for vehicles." "Summer rain across the field ridge" and "Summer rain across the cow’s back" vividly illustrate how thunderstorms often mean it rains here but not there, just like the poem by Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi: "East side clear sky, west side rain, saying there’s no clear sky, yet there is clear sky."
Summer weather is hot, with frequent rains, and the heat and dampness easily invade the body. Heart qi is prone to depletion, especially among the elderly, children, and those with weak constitutions, who often struggle to maintain health, leading to conditions like "summer fatigue" and heatstroke. If you experience obvious fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, chest tightness, poor concentration, excessive sweating, numbness in limbs, thirst, nausea, and other symptoms, these are signs of impending heatstroke. Once these symptoms appear, immediately move the patient to a ventilated area to rest, and give them a drink of diluted salt water, mung bean soup, watermelon juice, or sour plum soup. Methods to prevent heatstroke in summer: reasonably arrange work, balance labor and rest; avoid direct exposure to the sun; pay attention to indoor cooling; ensure adequate sleep; maintain good hygiene. Those with the means should regularly consume aromatic and turbid-clearing, heat-clearing and dampness-dispelling remedies during summer, such as 10 grams each of fresh perilla leaves and patchouli leaves, 30 grams each of talc and roasted barley sprouts, and 3 grams of licorice, boiled and drunk as tea. Alternatively, one can take Ren Dan or Ten Drops Water during the hot season.
Great Heat is the hottest period of the year, with the strongest yang energy. In health preservation, the saying "treating winter diseases in summer" is often mentioned. Therefore, for chronic conditions that typically flare up in winter, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma, diarrhea, and rheumatic pain (yang-deficiency syndromes), Great Heat is the best treatment opportunity. Those with such chronic conditions should pay special attention to careful adjustment and prevention during summer health preservation.
Take chronic bronchitis as an example: internal and external treatments can be combined. Internal medication: take Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan or Zuo Gui Wan, which warm the kidneys and strengthen yang, twice daily, one pill each time, for one month. External application: use 20 grams of white mustard seed, 15 grams of Corydalis, 12 grams of fine cinnamon, and 10 grams of Euphorbia, grind into fine powder, mix with ginger juice to form a paste, divide into six portions. Each portion is spread on a 5-centimeter diameter oil paper or plastic film, and applied to the Lung Yu, Xin Yu, and Ge Yu acupoints on the back, or to the bilateral Lung Yu, Bai Lao, and Gao Huang acupoints. Secure with tape. Typically left on for 4–6 hours; if there is a burning sensation, it can be removed early. If there is mild itching or a warm, comfortable feeling, it can be left on longer. Note: apply once per dog day (three dog days in summer), three times a year, for three consecutive years. This can enhance non-specific immunity and reduce allergic states. This combination of internal and external treatment can effectively eliminate or alleviate symptoms.
During summer, utilizing the nutritional benefits of food for health and longevity is an effective way to reduce illness and prevent aging. Summer dietary adjustment is based on the climatic characteristics of summer. Since summer is hot, it easily depletes body fluids and energy, so it is advisable to use medicinal porridge to nourish the body. The "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" states: "Medicine removes illness, food follows and supports." "Grains, meat, fruits, and vegetables nourish the body completely." Famous physician Li Shizhen particularly praised medicinal porridge for health preservation, saying: "Eating a large bowl of porridge every morning, with an empty stomach, allows the grain energy to rise, providing significant nourishment. It is extremely soft and delicate, harmonizing well with the stomach and intestines, making it the ultimate in dietary wisdom." Medicinal porridge is suitable for the elderly, children, and those with weak digestive systems. Thus, ancient people referred to it as "the number one nourishing food in the world," and "eating two heaping tablespoons of rice daily is equivalent to taking a large bundle of ginseng and astragalus." The "Medical Six Books" praises: "Japonica rice porridge is the foundation for life and nourishment, while glutinous rice porridge is a wonderful remedy for nourishing the stomach and spleen." Clearly, porridge nourishment is crucial for human health. Although medicinal porridge is beneficial, it should not be universally used; it must be tailored to individual constitution and illness, using appropriate herbs to create the porridge for optimal results.
During summer health preservation, water is also an essential and indispensable substance for health and longevity. The saying "humans are made of water" is not without truth. Water makes up about 70% of the human body. Traditional health practices highly recommend drinking boiled water. Experimental results show that after boiling a normal glass of water and covering it to cool to room temperature, the chlorine content is reduced by half compared to natural water. The surface tension, density, viscosity, and electrical conductivity of the cooled boiled water undergo changes, closely resembling the water inside biological active cells. Therefore, it can easily pass through cell membranes and possesses remarkable biological activity. According to folk wisdom and experimental results, drinking a glass of fresh cold water every morning can lead to miraculous health benefits over several years. Japanese medical researchers surveyed 460 seniors aged 65 and above, finding that 82% of those who drank a glass of cold water every morning for five years had rosy complexions, vibrant spirits, firm teeth, and could walk 10 kilometers daily without serious illness. This clearly demonstrates the importance of water for human health.
Besides water, beverages such as alcohol, soups, and fruit juices can also be considered drinks. Proper selection can greatly benefit the body's strength and vitality.
During the peak of summer, yang energy descends, and the warmth and moisture rise, creating a humid environment. Therefore, during this season, people are more susceptible to dampness. In traditional Chinese medicine, dampness is a yin pathogen, characterized by its tendency to descend, heaviness, stickiness, obstruction of qi movement, and damage to yang energy. Food therapy and medicinal dishes should be focused on clearing heat and relieving summer heat.
Below are several dishes suitable for the Great Heat season.
Cold Mixed Eggplant:
[Ingredients] 500 grams of tender eggplant, 15 grams of coriander, garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate, salt, and Sichuan peppercorns in appropriate amounts.
[Procedure] Wash the eggplant, peel it, cut into small pieces, sprinkle with a little salt, then immerse in cold water to remove the purple color, drain and steam until cooked, cool down. Crush garlic into paste. Heat a pan, add sesame oil, fry the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then pour the oil and spices into a small bowl. Add soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, salt, monosodium glutamate, garlic paste, mix well, pour over the eggplant. Wash and chop the coriander, sprinkle on top of the eggplant. Done.
[Function] Clears heat, opens orifices, reduces swelling, promotes urination, strengthens the spleen and stomach.
Note: Green beans contain lectin A, a toxic protein. Cooking significantly reduces its toxicity. Therefore, green beans must be thoroughly blanched to prevent poisoning.
Spicy Mixed Assorted Vegetables:
[Ingredients] 1 block of tofu, 50 grams of tender green beans, 50 grams of tomatoes, 15 grams of wood ear mushrooms, sesame oil, vegetable oil, salt, monosodium glutamate, green onion, all in appropriate amounts.
[Procedure] Cut tofu, green beans, tomatoes, and wood ear mushrooms into small cubes. Boil water in a pot, blanch tofu, green beans, tomatoes, and wood ear mushrooms separately (tomatoes need only a brief dip), drain and dry. Heat a pan, add vegetable oil, fry Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then add green onions, salt, tomatoes, and monosodium glutamate, stir well, pour over the blanched tofu, green beans, and wood ear mushrooms, drizzle with sesame oil, mix well, and serve.
[Function] Quenches thirst, strengthens the spleen, clears summer heat, detoxifies, and removes dampness.
Green Bean and Pumpkin Soup:
[Ingredients] 50 grams of green beans, 500 grams of old pumpkin, a little salt.
[Procedure] Wash the green beans, add a small amount of salt (about 3 grams) while still moist, mix well, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse clean. Wash and peel the pumpkin, cut into 2 cm cubes. Add 500 ml of water to a pot, bring to a boil, add green beans, boil for 2 minutes, add a little cold water, boil again, then add pumpkin, cover, simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes until the green beans burst, add a little salt to taste.
[Function] Green beans are sweet and cooling, clearing summer heat, detoxifying, and promoting urination; paired with pumpkin, it generates fluids and strengthens energy. This is the best meal for summer heat prevention.
Bitter Melon and Chrysanthemum Porridge:
[Ingredients] 100 grams of bitter melon, 50 grams of chrysanthemum, 60 grams of japonica rice, 100 grams of rock sugar.
[Procedure] Wash the bitter melon, remove the seeds, cut into small pieces. Wash the rice, clean the chrysanthemum, place both in a pot, add sufficient water, bring to a boil over high heat, once boiling, add the bitter melon and rock sugar, reduce to low heat and continue cooking until the rice blooms.
[Function] Clears summer heat, stops diarrhea, detoxifies. Suitable for heatstroke, thirst, and dysentery.
Note: When drinking this porridge, avoid all warm, spicy, greasy, and heavy foods.
|
