Grain in Ear, or Mangzhong in Chinese, is the ninth of 24 solar term. The arrival of Grain in Ear signified the beginning of hot summer. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), it is the best time of nourishing the spleen. During Grain in Ear, it need to take advantage of the fullness of Yang Qi reaching for good flow of Qi to cheer up the spirits. Furthermore, it need to avoid sunlight and heatstroke.
Climate Influence on Physical Fitness in Grain in Ear
After Grain in Ear, high temperature, abundant rainfall along with high humidity easily causes mold growth on items, mosquitoes breed, and occurrence of infectious diseases. It easily causes such symptoms as fatigue, hectic fever and vexation, sleepiness, poor appetite, diarrhea and abdominal pain. I can’t lift my spirits, so how should I preserve health during Grain in Ear?
Eating more foods clearing dampness
After Grain in Ear, it is suggested to eat more bitter food, such as bitter gourd, lotus seed heart, kale, buckwheat and lettuce, which can not only clear away heat and dampness, but also prevent problems before they happen, so as to achieve the goal of curing diseases. As the weather characterized with heat and humidity in Grain in Ear, it may result in the evil invading the body, making the elderly and children with weak digestion to be more prone to such symptoms as poor appetite, loose stools and diarrhea, drowsiness of limbs, and malaise. Thus, it need to eat easy-to-digest foods that can clear heart during Grain in Ear.
In summer, the vigorous metabolism and excessive sweat can cause consumption of Qi and body fluid. Therefore, it is best to eat food that dispels heat, replenishes qi, and promotes body fluids to quench thirst. Due to the decline of the body function, it cause the elderly reduced secretion of digestive juice and the hardened cardiovascular and cerebrovascular to varying degrees.
It is suggested that they should eat more light food accompanied with foods that clear heat and relieve heat, protect the stomach, strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness, and lower blood pressure and fat. In addition, it is recommended to reduce the use of hot seasonings (such as star anise, fennel, cinnamon, pepper, etc.) when cooking, so as to reduce occurrence of such symptoms as constipation, hemorrhoids, angular cheilitis, pharyngitis, dizziness, prickly heat, and heatstroke.
Do not stay up late and tense during work and rest
As the temperature and humidity rises, the load on the heart increases. People with heart disease should avoid staying up late and tension, and eat more heart-nourishing foods, such as longan lotus meat, jujube, millet rock sugar porridge, Ophiopogon japonicus longan, wolfberry chrysanthemum tea, or to drink the tea with 15 grams of Ophiopogon japonicus and longan meat. For the elderly with qi deficiency and fatigue, they can add 10 grams of American ginseng in the tea.
On the other hand, if you sweat a lot in summer, you should drink plenty of salty water to supplement the body’s salt. In addition, you should take a bath frequently after Grain in Ear, which can loosen the skin, make it easy to vent the “yang heat”, and help reduce the onset of skin diseases such as eczema.
