The Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), one of the principal medical books of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was written thousands of years ago. In it, the Yellow Emperor of China asks the Daoist master Qi Bo questions about health and disease.
The first question that the Yellow Emperor asks is “I am told the people in ancient times could all survive to more than 100 years old, and they appeared to be quite healthy and strong in actions, but the people at present time are different, they are not so nimble in action when they are only 50, and what is the reason?”
Qi Bo responds to the Yellow Emperor, “those who knew the way of keeping good health in ancient times always kept their behaviour in daily life in accordance with nature. Their behaviours in daily life were all kept in regular patterns such as their food and drink were of fixed quantity; their daily activities were all in regular times. They never overworked. In this way, they could maintain both in the body and in the spirit substantiality, and were able to live to the old age of more than 100 years.”
The key element in Qi Bo’s answer seems to be concerned with living in harmony with nature. Of course, this has strong implications for our habits as the seasons change.
Of Spring, Qi Bo says: “In the three months of spring, all things on the earth begin to grow. The natural world is resuscitating and all things are flourishing. People may sleep late in the night and get up early in the morning, taking a walk in the courtyard with hair running free to relax the body and enliven the mind. Such a natural resuscitating process should be activated instead of being depressed, promoted instead of being deprived and encouraged instead of being destroyed. This is what adaptation to chun qi (spring-qi) means and this is the principle for cultivation of health. Any violation of this rule may impair the liver and result in cold diseases in summer due to insufficient supply for growth in summer”.
Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Spring is represented by the element of wood. The element of the East, wood relates to the morning and the sunrise. Characterised by renewal and upward and outward energy and growth, it gives us a connection to the future and the flexibility to plan and design in all areas of our lives.
The element of wood also relates to the liver, the gallbladder, tendons and joints. The liver helps us neutralise poisons – both physical and emotional. As Spring is the time of renewal, the Liver can become overburdened (also called “over-heated”). As heat moves upward, it can cause problems in the head section: dry skin, dry hair, hair loss, migraines, headaches, high blood pressure, and indigestion.
You might like to try making your own cleansing tonic at home, to be drunk before a main meal. Simply add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoonful of raw honey in a glass of water and mix well.
Emotional problems that arise when the liver is over-heated are depressive or anger related states, including irritation, resentment, belligerence, impatience and mood swings. People with a consistently over-heated liver may develop heart problems. So it’s important to de-stress and detoxify in Spring. Exercise should be gentle and smooth styles, i.e. breathing, stretching, Qigong, yoga, light weights, walking, meditation, light cardio – all of which simulate the animal coming out of hibernation. Outside air helps liver Qi flow, so it’s important to get outside for air and sunshine whenever possible.
The appetite should be slightly smaller, and the foods easier for your body to cope with. This means lighter foods, and including more lightly cooked (preferably steamed) or raw foods where possible; as well as avoiding all processed and denatured foods (i.e refined grains and sugars) and high fat foods. Avoiding foods that contain chemicals always applied.
As green is the color of Spring – and of the liver – try to consume plenty of young plants and fresh greens. Legumes and seeds are also good to eat, especially if they are sprouted. Basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill and bayleaf are all good spices to use in Spring.
Seasonal Spring Foods
One of the easiest ways to stay healthy in any season is to eat fresh seasonal foods. A good guideline about what to eat during any season is to build your meals from what is available at your local farmer’s market. There are also the added bonuses that shopping in this way is better for farming and better for the environment. For your convenience, here is a list of Spring foods:
Vegetables:
Asparagus, Beets, Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Peppers, Artichokes, Fava Beans, Fiddlehead, Ferns, Spinach, Kale, Kohlrabi, Rhubarb, Bok Choy, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Calabrese Broccoli, Wild Garlic, Green Onions, Lettuce, Morels, Wild Mushrooms, Nettles, Spring Onions, Cabbage, Carrots.
Fruits:
Bananas, Berries, Figs, Kiwi, Mangos, Pineapple, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Cherries, Melons
Fish and Seafood:
Pacific Coast Clams, Oysters, Lobster, Mackerel, Mussels, Wild Salmon, Sardines, John Dory, Sea Trout, Brown Crab, Haddock, Lemon Sole, Langoustines, Bass
Meat:
Lamb, Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Rabbit, Hare, Guinea Fowl, Grouse and Duck.
With all of this in mind, you can be in harmony with all the renewal and upward and outward movement of Spring.
The first question that the Yellow Emperor asks is “I am told the people in ancient times could all survive to more than 100 years old, and they appeared to be quite healthy and strong in actions, but the people at present time are different, they are not so nimble in action when they are only 50, and what is the reason?”
Qi Bo responds to the Yellow Emperor, “those who knew the way of keeping good health in ancient times always kept their behaviour in daily life in accordance with nature. Their behaviours in daily life were all kept in regular patterns such as their food and drink were of fixed quantity; their daily activities were all in regular times. They never overworked. In this way, they could maintain both in the body and in the spirit substantiality, and were able to live to the old age of more than 100 years.”
The key element in Qi Bo’s answer seems to be concerned with living in harmony with nature. Of course, this has strong implications for our habits as the seasons change.
Of Spring, Qi Bo says: “In the three months of spring, all things on the earth begin to grow. The natural world is resuscitating and all things are flourishing. People may sleep late in the night and get up early in the morning, taking a walk in the courtyard with hair running free to relax the body and enliven the mind. Such a natural resuscitating process should be activated instead of being depressed, promoted instead of being deprived and encouraged instead of being destroyed. This is what adaptation to chun qi (spring-qi) means and this is the principle for cultivation of health. Any violation of this rule may impair the liver and result in cold diseases in summer due to insufficient supply for growth in summer”.
Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Spring is represented by the element of wood. The element of the East, wood relates to the morning and the sunrise. Characterised by renewal and upward and outward energy and growth, it gives us a connection to the future and the flexibility to plan and design in all areas of our lives.
The element of wood also relates to the liver, the gallbladder, tendons and joints. The liver helps us neutralise poisons – both physical and emotional. As Spring is the time of renewal, the Liver can become overburdened (also called “over-heated”). As heat moves upward, it can cause problems in the head section: dry skin, dry hair, hair loss, migraines, headaches, high blood pressure, and indigestion.
You might like to try making your own cleansing tonic at home, to be drunk before a main meal. Simply add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoonful of raw honey in a glass of water and mix well.
Emotional problems that arise when the liver is over-heated are depressive or anger related states, including irritation, resentment, belligerence, impatience and mood swings. People with a consistently over-heated liver may develop heart problems. So it’s important to de-stress and detoxify in Spring. Exercise should be gentle and smooth styles, i.e. breathing, stretching, Qigong, yoga, light weights, walking, meditation, light cardio – all of which simulate the animal coming out of hibernation. Outside air helps liver Qi flow, so it’s important to get outside for air and sunshine whenever possible.
The appetite should be slightly smaller, and the foods easier for your body to cope with. This means lighter foods, and including more lightly cooked (preferably steamed) or raw foods where possible; as well as avoiding all processed and denatured foods (i.e refined grains and sugars) and high fat foods. Avoiding foods that contain chemicals always applied.
As green is the color of Spring – and of the liver – try to consume plenty of young plants and fresh greens. Legumes and seeds are also good to eat, especially if they are sprouted. Basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill and bayleaf are all good spices to use in Spring.
Seasonal Spring Foods
One of the easiest ways to stay healthy in any season is to eat fresh seasonal foods. A good guideline about what to eat during any season is to build your meals from what is available at your local farmer’s market. There are also the added bonuses that shopping in this way is better for farming and better for the environment. For your convenience, here is a list of Spring foods:
Vegetables:
Asparagus, Beets, Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Peppers, Artichokes, Fava Beans, Fiddlehead, Ferns, Spinach, Kale, Kohlrabi, Rhubarb, Bok Choy, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Calabrese Broccoli, Wild Garlic, Green Onions, Lettuce, Morels, Wild Mushrooms, Nettles, Spring Onions, Cabbage, Carrots.
Fruits:
Bananas, Berries, Figs, Kiwi, Mangos, Pineapple, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Cherries, Melons
Fish and Seafood:
Pacific Coast Clams, Oysters, Lobster, Mackerel, Mussels, Wild Salmon, Sardines, John Dory, Sea Trout, Brown Crab, Haddock, Lemon Sole, Langoustines, Bass
Meat:
Lamb, Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Rabbit, Hare, Guinea Fowl, Grouse and Duck.
With all of this in mind, you can be in harmony with all the renewal and upward and outward movement of Spring.
No comments:
Post a Comment