Rain Water is the second term of the 24th solar terms, and the day of Rain Water this year falls on February 19.
Climate characteristics of Rain Water
As the name suggests, rain water reflects the phenomenon that there is more rainwater in the solar terms. As the weather gradually warms up, the yang Qi in nature and the water vapor hidden in the ground rises. Thus, the humidity increase that give rise to amount of rainfall. During this time, there are tips to preserve health in the solar term of rain water.
- Pay attention torecurrence of a diseases
In the “Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic”, the most important early Chinese medical books, there is a saying “Spring in March, it is the time to bring out the old thing in winter”. In spring, various chronic diseases are prone to relapse, which is the time when allergic diseases are high. During spring time, some patients with skin and rheumatic diseases complained that their symptoms get worse.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), you must actively protect your body and pay attention to maintaining your spleen and stomach. “The spleen is the acquired foundation.” Regulating the spleen and stomach can effectively boost the immune function.
- Dress thick and think according to the weather
During the solar term of Rain Water, the weather become warm but changeable, sometimes cold and hot. To prevent cold and damp air from invading and causing diseases, it is not suggested to pack up winter clothes too soon. In addition, there is saying “moisture tends to descend” and “cold tends to grow from the bottom”, dressing in spring should be thick at the bottom and thin at the top to cope with natural weather changes and reduce the impact of cold and damp air on the lower limbs.
- Diet in spring
Sun Simiao, the king of medicine in the Tang Dynasty, he had suggested that during spring, it is better to eat more sweet food and avoid sour food for nourishing the spleen and stomach qi. To avoid strong liver qi in the body, you should eat such vegetables as lotus seeds, red dates, glutinous rice, yam, sugar cane, green leafy vegetables, porridge.
In the classic medical book “Compendium of Materia Medica” composed by Li Shizhen, the traditional medicine practitioner of the Ming Dynasty, he suggested to eat more warm foods with yang qi, such as garlic and asparagus, leek, spinach and black sesame. Furthermore, adding them to the daily menu can help the body’s yang qi rise to follow the spring energy, so as to nourish the liver.
