{"id":7859,"date":"2012-05-12T08:30:33","date_gmt":"2012-05-12T12:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=7859"},"modified":"2012-05-27T15:05:12","modified_gmt":"2012-05-27T19:05:12","slug":"seasonal-harmony-early-summer-and-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=7859","title":{"rendered":"Seasonal Harmony – Early Summer and You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early Summer and You<\/span><\/h1>\n

by Ellasara Kling<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe wise nourish life by flowing with the four seasons and adapting to cold or heat, by harmonizing joy and anger in a tranquil dwelling, by balancing yin and yang, and what is hard and soft.\u201d -The Neijing<\/em><\/h3>\n

It is a time-honored understanding in Chinese medicine theory, that \u201cPrevention is the best cure.\u201d\u00a0 Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to do those things that we can do in our daily lives to increase and preserve our well-being. Often this includes those small things that in the short run may seem inconsequential, but in the long run make a big difference. This clearly includes paying attention to the seasons and what we need to do to respond appropriately to each season. Let\u2019s look briefly at the season we are in now.<\/p>\n

Following the sproutings of Spring, Summer\u2019s energy is now flowing outward and upward. An abundance of plants are in bloom, the world is visually beautiful. Early Summer has begun and with it is that delightful summer warmth, longer days, blue skies, plants in bloom and an expression by Nature of exuberance! Easy to understand why Joy would be the emotion for Heart Season. This is the Joy that emerges from within as a response to Life. (see the chart below for more Early Summer relationships according to the principles of Five Element Theory.)<\/p>\n

The heart and spirit are affected by the fire element of this season making it an ideal time to cultivate calm\/peacefulness, work on increasing the immune system (wei qi). In TCM, the Heart and Small Intestine functions are paired. When the Heart function is in balance, it can work easily in conjunction with the functioning of the Small Intestine. Add more fluids to your diet, enjoy the outdoors, add pungent flavors to your foods, and refrain from eating greasy foods, too much meat, and also iced foods.<\/p>\n

Every season has its unique and highly complex expression and requires us to relate differently to ourselves in each one as a form of cooperation with Nature. Simultaneously, we need to understand our individual needs and how to combine one with the other. Heat and dampness are two environmental factors of summer. Some of each is necessary environmentally and internally; however, too much dampness in either is unpleasant. We may not be able to control the external weather, but we may be able to control the creation of internal dampness by going lightly on the ice cream, greasy foods, and sweets, especially if we are prone to a damp condition. Even though it can become quite hot externally, drinking very cold liquids should be avoided. They are a shock to the system and counter-productive. Instead, try a flower tea such as chrysanthemum tea which naturally cools us internally. Slightly diluted fresh cucumber juice with lemon, strawberry juice or watermelon juice are all naturally cooling and delicious as is a cup of green tea.<\/p>\n

Always listen to your body, use your self-awareness to understand what it is telling you and follow your intuition<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Some Foods That Are Harmonious With Early Summer Include<\/span><\/strong>: apricot, beet, bitter melon, black coffee, broccoli, celery, coffee, cucumber, daikon radish, dark unsweetened chocolate, escarole, ginger, job’s tears (a\/k\/a Chinese barley), lettuces such as boston, chicory, endive & romaine, lemon balm, loquat, lotus root, lotus seed, mulberries, mung bean, okra, peach, peppermint, persimmons, radishes, red lentils, red peppers, red plums, rhubarb, soy beans, spinach, strawberry, summer squashes, tamarind, teas, tomato, water chestnuts, watermelon, Chinese yam, zucchini, and others.<\/p>\n

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Health Topic:\u00a0 Astragalus<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>(a\/k\/a Huang Qi; Milk Vetch) is commonly used in TCM herbal formulas and in Chinese herbal home cooking. But, what is it? The part of the plant that is commonly used is the root which is cut into slices that look something like a tongue depressor. The plant itself is a legume and Astragulas is the name for a genus of about 3,000 different species. The ones used in TCM are from specific plants that are native to China, Korea, Mongolia. Considered an adaptogen, in TCM formulas it is combined with other herbs and is used to treat numerous conditions. Over the past few years, it has become valued in western herbal medicine and research for its apparent immune boosting abilities and positive effects on some common conditions (for more specific information visit the University of Maryland Medical Center website: http:\/\/www.umm.edu\/altmed\/articles\/astragalus-000223.htm<\/a>; also see The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing: A Comprehensive A-Z Listing of Common and Chronic Illnesses and Their Proven Natural Treatments<\/a> by Gary Null, Ph.D.<\/em> ). There are many home herbal recipes that use astragalus root. These recipes are usually simmered for a long time as in soups. The root has a sweet and mild-licorice taste.<\/p>\n

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RECIPES:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/strong>Watermelon Salad <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Watermelon<\/td>\ncut in bite size pieces and use some of the pith\/rind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cucumber<\/td>\nquartered lengthwise, seeded, sliced thin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lemon juice and salt<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fresh mint leaves<\/td>\nchopped, an appreciable amount<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mix the cucumbers with the lemon juice and salt. Let sit for a bit, like while you cut up watermelon and mint. Toss with melon and mint.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Veggie Crepes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Crepes \u2013 Ingredients (the batter for the crepes is made ahead of time)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/strong>\u00bd cup flour (rice or wheat)
\n3 eggs
\n1\/8 m\u00a0 tsp salt
\n2 tbsp water
\n1 tsp walnut oil
\n4 tbsp seltzer
\n2 tbsp oil for cooking crepes<\/p>\n

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Crepes Directions<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n