In recent days, A-Mai, a clerical worker in a company, has been feeling drowsy and often made mistakes while typing documents at work. Last night, she went to bed early and slept for nine hours, but still felt no energy when she woke up. Back at the office, she saw her colleagues yawning continuously, all saying they didn't get enough sleep and were still sleepy.
After the Awakening of Insects, all things come back to life. After enduring the long winter, the body's yang energy has been greatly depleted. In early spring, yang energy is not yet fully rising, causing people to feel extremely fatigued. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine's theory of zang-fu organs, spring is dominated by liver qi. When liver qi is strong, it overpowers the spleen (wood overcomes earth), impairing the spleen and stomach’s ability to transform and transport water-dampness, easily leading to internal dampness stagnation. Combined with the persistent rainy weather in spring, external dampness obstructs the spleen and stomach’s yang energy, resulting in poor circulation of qi and blood and blocked meridians, thus causing fatigue and excessive sleepiness—this is what TCM calls “spring sleepiness.”
Spleen deficiency with dampness stagnation is the fundamental cause of spring sleepiness. Therefore, one should strengthen the spleen and remove dampness, and warming and tonifying the spleen and stomach is the best way to relieve spring sleepiness.
First: It is advisable to spend more time outdoors on sunny days to absorb natural sunlight and nourish one’s own yang energy.
“The Plain Questions – The Great Theory of Adjusting the Four Qi” states: “Nourish yang in spring and summer, nourish yin in autumn and winter, in accordance with their roots; thus one can grow and flourish with all things. To go against this principle is to damage the root and destroy one’s true nature.” Based on the theory that spring is for growth, summer for development, autumn for harvest, and winter for storage, spring is precisely when temperatures gradually rise and yang energy slowly returns. Thus, health preservation during this season should focus on nurturing yang energy to align with seasonal changes.
Second: Reduce sour foods, increase sweet ones, and tonify the spleen and stomach.
As Tang Dynasty’s medical sage Sun Simiao said: “In the 72 days of spring, reduce sour foods and increase sweet ones to nourish the spleen.” This means that during spring, when liver qi is strong, one should eat less sour food, as it would further intensify liver qi and harm the spleen and stomach. At this time, one may consume more sweet and neutral foods such as lean meat, eggs, milk, honey, soy products, and fresh vegetables. Since liver qi is strong and spleen qi weak in spring, and since the spleen governs the limbs, weak spleen qi leads to weakness and fatigue in the limbs. Therefore, one must also tonify the spleen. Medicinal supplementation is inferior to dietary supplementation; to tonify the spleen, eat more crucian carp, carrots, apples, and yam. Methods to strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness include:
1. Dietary therapy:
★ Boiled crucian carp soup: Pan-fry both sides of the fish until golden brown, then boil with boiling water over high heat until the broth turns milky white. Add 3 grams of sand ginger, 3 grams of tangerine peel, 20 grams of coriander, and 10 grams of ginger, simmer briefly for three minutes. Crucian carp is sweet and neutral, nourishing without drying, strengthening the spleen and removing dampness, and rich in nutrients. TCM believes this remedy is excellent for nourishing the spleen and stomach.
★ Field mugwort boiled with crucian carp: 30 grams of field mugwort, 250 grams of crucian carp, 10 grams of ginger, boiled into soup. Not only does it strengthen the spleen and remove dampness, but it also helps prevent favism.
★ Sand ginger, coix seed, and yam porridge: 5 grams of sand ginger, 30 grams of coix seed, 30 grams of yam, 100 grams of rice, cooked into porridge.
2. Herbal therapy:
① If suffering from gastrointestinal flu in spring, feeling generally exhausted, poor appetite, loose stools, abdominal distension, and thick tongue coating, take Huoxiang Zhengqi Wan or Huoxiang Zhengqi Water.
② For those with weak spleen and stomach, experiencing poor appetite, loose stools, and fatigue, take Shenling Baizhu San to regulate and tonify the spleen and stomach.
3. External washing method to remove dampness and invigorate the spleen:
Boil water with 100 grams of ginger, 20 grams of tangerine peel, and 30 grams of mint. Use this water to bathe to warm the spleen and stomach, remove dampness, and relieve fatigue. If finding this too cumbersome, use the water to soak feet.
Third: It is advisable to promote the free flow of liver qi.
“The Plain Questions – The Great Theory of Adjusting the Four Qi” says: “In the three months of spring, this is the time of renewal—the heavens and earth both give birth, all things flourish. Go to bed late and rise early, walk widely in the courtyard, let your hair down and loosen your clothing, so that your spirit may flourish. Do not kill, do not take away, do not punish—only give and reward. This is the response to spring’s energy, the way of health preservation.”
Spring is the season for the free flow of liver qi. Since the liver enjoys smoothness and dislikes depression, one should follow nature’s rhythm, promote the free flow of liver qi, and maintain emotional well-being. Regularly engaging in beneficial physical and cultural activities outdoors, relaxing the body and opening the heart, avoiding anger, can promote the circulation of qi and blood and help relieve spring sleepiness.
|
