Chinese medicine nourishes the body with food to reduce internal heat

As we approach summer, there is more rain and the temperature rises faster and faster. But this is also the time when the "fire" in the body is relatively strong, and many people have symptoms of fire such as oral ulcers, sore throat, and acne.

Why is it easy to get angry at this time of year? In summer, the climate becomes warmer, the temperature rises, all things grow and move upward, and the yang energy becomes stronger. From the perspective of the Five Elements, if you do not pay attention to adjusting your work and rest schedule, regulating your emotions, and not paying attention to your diet, and allow the liver qi to run wild, the liver function will be hyperactive and heat symptoms will appear, which is what people often call "liver fire."

It is understood that summer fire is mostly caused by improper diet and daily life, which is generally divided into exogenous fire and endogenous fire. Exogenous fire is mainly related to climate change in nature. For example, the warming climate, strong winds and dry air make the human body's dispersion phenomenon more obvious. In addition, the number of mosquitoes and flies increases in summer, and the activity of bacteria and viruses increases, which invade the human body from time to time and make people sick. Under such conditions, the human body is prone to getting angry. Endogenous fire is closely related to people's excessive dressing, dietary structure, digestive and metabolic functions, physical constitution and emotional changes in daily life. When the liver fire is strong, it will manifest as oral ulcers, sore throat, bitter taste in the mouth and bad breath; it will cause constipation, yellow urine, and red urine.

1. The key to reducing internal heat: a reasonable work and rest schedule and adequate sleep

People who have poor sleep are prone to getting irritated, and reversing day and night is a big taboo. To prevent and treat "getting angry", first of all, you should have a regular life and go to bed early and get up early. Adequate sleep can relieve the symptoms of getting angry. Many young people are night owls who often stay up late, whether because they have to work overtime at night or just for fun, and often go to bed at one or two in the morning. Night is supposed to be the time for the human body to repair itself. Forcing the organs to remain in an excited state will disrupt the body's micro-metabolic environment.

Secondly, outdoor activities are also very important. Through activities, you can strengthen your physical fitness and achieve a balance of yin and yang in the body. You should know that liver fire is caused by excessive Yang energy, so you need to suppress liver fire to balance Yin and Yang. In addition, going to the outdoors in nature, going for a walk to enjoy the cool air, appreciating the scenery of the gardens, observing the beauty of the mountains and rivers, absorbing the sweet and clear six kinds of Qi, and unblocking the liver Qi can relax your mood, calm the liver Qi, and prevent liver fire from arising. ”

2. Diet adjustment: moderate tonic, not warm or dry

Dietary adjustment is also an important part of preventing and relieving "anger". Sun Simiao, a health expert in the Tang Dynasty, said in "Qianjin Fang": "During the 72 days of summer, reduce sour food and increase sweet food to nourish the spleen." In other words, in summer, you should eat less sour food and more sweet food to nourish the spleen (the spleen in traditional Chinese medicine refers to the digestive function).

In summer, people are as full of vitality as creatures in nature. The various tissues and organs of the human body are actively functioning and require a large amount of nutrients to meet the needs of body activities and growth and development. At this time, the food supplements should be mild and light. They should not be warm or dry and help liver fire, nor should they be cold, greasy, or sticky, so as to avoid damaging the spleen and stomach yang energy. In addition, wind is the main air in summer, and strong winds cause the air to be dry, which can easily consume body fluids. At this time, you should replenish more water, and it is best to drink warm water in small amounts and multiple times.

For people who suffer from internal heat, the following foods and dishes can reduce internal heat: barley kernel porridge, red bean porridge, lotus seed porridge, lily porridge, etc. These porridges are cool and simple and easy to digest; turtle soup can nourish yin and reduce internal heat; fried snails have the effect of clearing the liver and reducing internal heat; toon buds mixed with tofu can clear the liver and stomach fire; shepherd's purse can be eaten cold, made into soup, used to make dumplings or as pancake fillings, and can also be used to make porridge.

Regarding the diet of special groups such as children and pregnant women, children should not eat fried, deep-fried, grilled, or spicy foods, nor should they eat raw or cold foods such as ice cream. Pregnant women should increase their intake of high-quality protein (such as eggs, milk, lean meat, and soy products), eat more fresh seasonal vegetables, eat less sweets and greasy meat, and their diet should not be too salty.

3. What are the foods that are considered to be nutritious?

What kind of food is considered a balanced tonic? We have made a list of foods:

1. Food:

Such as cereals such as buckwheat and coix seed; beans such as soybeans and adzuki beans; yam, sweet potato, jujube, and water chestnut, which are sweet and can strengthen the spleen and stomach.

2. Vegetables:

Chinese cabbage, snow vegetable, green pepper, tomato, leek, chrysanthemum, spring bamboo shoots, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, amaranth, etc. These vegetables are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, etc.

3. Fruits:

Apple, pomelo, kiwi, loquat, pear, sugarcane, etc.

4. Tea:

It is recommended to drink scented tea, which is sweet, cool, aromatic and spicy, and can relieve spring fatigue.