Eight health-preserving wisdoms hidden in "Dream of Red Mansions"

We have all heard of "Dream of Red Mansions", and many people have also watched the adapted TV series. In fact, there are many health-preserving common sense in "Dream of Red Mansions", such as back massage, drinking tea, etc. Here I will introduce to you eight representative health-preserving methods in "Dream of Red Mansions", let's learn together.

Hunger therapy for colds

In "Dream of the Red Chamber", from the master to the maid, everyone eats very little for three meals a day, especially when they have a cold. The doctor does not prescribe medicine, but asks people to "starve for two meals" or requires a light diet.

Not taking medicine for minor illnesses is a good health-preserving method used by the ancients. The so-called starvation therapy does not mean not eating at all, but drinking some rice soup appropriately, mainly rice soup, which has the effect of moisturizing the five internal organs. When suffering from the common cold, you can adopt hunger therapy, drink more white rice porridge, add some mung beans in summer, add some glutinous rice in winter, and add some yam and dates for middle-aged and elderly people. For gastrointestinal colds, which manifest as aversion to greasy food and diarrhea, you can boil white radish with salt and drink the soup, and eat the radish together, which aids digestion.

Don't drink too much tea

Miaoyu once said, when drinking tea, "one cup is for tasting, two cups is just to quench your thirst, and three cups is like drinking like an ox or a mule." Not only should tea be drunk in small sips, but in Dream of the Red Chamber, everyone likes different teas. After eating greasy food, Jia's mother would not drink Lu'an tea; after eating noodles, Baoyu would drink "daughter's tea".

Tea contains tannic acid. Drinking a lot of tea will cause excessive tannic acid in the body and cause gastrointestinal dysfunction. Lu'an tea is a kind of bitter green tea that can clear away heat and detoxify, and is not suitable for the elderly; Nv'er tea is actually a kind of Pu'er tea, which has strong digestion and detoxification functions, and also has a certain effect on regulating menstruation, and is suitable for women to drink. It is important to drink tea according to your physical condition. Older women, women with cold constitution, cold stomach, and women who are menstruating should drink less green tea. Even ordinary people should drink less strong green tea in winter, and it is best to drink black tea. Don't drink strong tea after 2 pm, or at the latest after 4 pm.

Learn to beat your back

In "Dream of the Red Chamber", there are many scenes of maids massaging the backs of Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang. This was the most common health care method in ancient times.

There are three important meridians on the back. The one that runs along the spine is the Du meridian, which is the yang among the yang in the human body. The one 1.5 inches on both sides of the Du meridian is the bladder meridian, which is related to the human body's internal organs. The key to patting the back is to be "gentle". The correct method is to put five fingers together and slightly bend them, and pat the back with the palms empty, along the spine from top to bottom and from the middle to both sides. The best time to do back massage is from 3 to 5 p.m., as this is when the bladder meridian is on duty and the health-preserving effect is the best.

Longevity comes from happiness

Grandmother Jia was 83 years old when she died, and Granny Liu was 85 and still alive. Although one of them is rich and the other is poor, and their living environments are very different, they both live to a ripe old age. What is their secret to longevity?

The biggest secret to Grandmother Jia's longevity is that she values ​​enjoying family happiness, likes to have reunion dinners with the whole family, loves lively places and not being lonely. Granny Liu was hyperactive, optimistic and humorous by nature. She never got angry when teased and had a normal mind. She often joked to herself that “I eat according to the size of the bowl.” This was the key to her longevity. Modern people should learn more from Lady Jia and Granny Liu’s saying “longevity comes from happiness”. Many diseases, such as stomach problems, enteritis, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, cancer, etc., are closely related to mood. Modern people lack family affection the most. Children usually live separately from their elderly parents, which makes the elderly very lonely. In this regard, the elderly should first be more open-minded, and their children should also spend more time with their parents. The elderly should move more, and sweeping the floor can also prolong their life.

Tofu skin buns are the "longevity buns"

Tofu skin buns are steamed buns made with tofu skin as the skin and fungus, shiitake mushrooms, green vegetables, etc. as the fillings. In the Qing Dynasty, it was used as tribute for a long time and given to the emperor. So in Chapter 8 of A Dream of Red Mansions, there is a scene where Baoyu is reluctant to eat the food himself and wants to leave it for Qingwen.

Tofu skin buns are also called "longevity buns". Among them, fungus and tofu have the effect of lowering blood lipids, especially tofu skin, which contains a lot of phytoestrogens, which can delay aging and beautify the skin. For patients with "three highs", tofu skin buns are a very good healthy dish.

Hot summer regimen

"Don't expose your chest in the summer and don't expose your back to the air" is a method of health preservation in the hot summer described in "Dream of Red Mansions". No matter how hot it is, you cannot sleep with your upper body naked. You should at least wear a bellyband to protect your chest and stomach. You cannot sleep in a place that is too cold, such as on a stone bench, otherwise you will get sick. You should not eat ice in the dog days of summer. At most, you can soak the teapot in well water to keep it a little cool.

The parts of the human body that are most afraid of catching cold are: the throat, as too cold food will irritate the mucous membrane and cause pharyngitis; the neck, as catching cold can easily lead to muscle spasms; the abdomen, which can cause many gynecological diseases; the stomach, which can cause bloating and diarrhea; and the shoulders and knees, as catching cold can easily damage the joints. Many people like to lay cool mats in the summer. In fact, it is best to lay cool mats only during the dog days of summer. Don't lay them before and after the dog days of summer.

Spring is the best time to comb your hair and keep healthy

Combing and brushing hair are mentioned in many places in "Dream of Red Mansions". The ancient health preservation emphasizes "combing your hair 100 to 200 times every morning in the spring." Emperor Qianlong lived to be 89 years old, and one of his secrets to health was “combing his hair regularly”.

The most important acupuncture point in the middle of the top of the head is called Baihui Point. The purpose of combing your hair is to massage this acupoint, which can not only maintain your hair, make it more shiny and reduce hair loss, but also help you sleep. When combing your hair, comb forward or backward with Baihui point as the center. Modern people are very busy, so 10 to 20 strokes each time is enough. If you really don't have time, you can spread your five fingers, apply a little force, and gather your hair from front to back, which can also help massage your scalp.

Stewed pork elbow with ham to honor the elderly

In Chapter 16 of A Dream of Red Mansions, Jia Lian and Feng Ji invited their wet nurse, Madam Zhao, to dinner. Feng Ji was afraid that the old lady had bad teeth, so she asked someone to bring her a bowl of stewed ham and pork elbow that had been stewed since morning.

Eating pork elbows can nourish the tendons and bones. If the pork elbows are stewed very well, some of the saturated fatty acids in them will turn into unsaturated fatty acids, which are easy to digest and suitable for the elderly. In addition, the elderly. When it comes to eating, the most important things for the elderly are: rotten, because their teeth, chewing and digestion are not good, and rotten food is more conducive to absorption; varied, they should eat at least 14 kinds of food a day. Steamed buns and dumplings stuffed with meat, eggs, mushrooms, cabbage, and tofu are all good foods, and the seasonings should preferably include vinegar, garlic and ginger; fresh, the elderly should eat less frozen food and leftovers; light, the elderly over 60 years old with high blood pressure should not eat more than 3 grams of salt a day, and the elderly who are obese or have cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases should not eat more than 20 grams of oil a day.

From "Dream of Red Mansions", we can learn endless health-preserving tips. These 8 representative health-preserving methods reflect the life wisdom of the ancients. What modern people need to learn most is to make their three meals a day, clothing, food, housing and transportation healthier like them.