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MAJOR SNOW, A SOLAR TERM FOR WARM INVIGORATION

MAJOR SNOW, A SOLAR TERM FOR WARM INVIGORATION

Dec 09, 2022

YE LI

The first day of Major Snow usually comes around December 7, when the sun reaches 255 degrees of longitude. It means that the snow becomes heavy. During this period, the snow begins to accumulate on the ground. About the snow, a proverb goes “A timely snow promises a good harvest.” As the snow covers the ground, the pests living through the winter will be killed by the low temperature. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine health preservation, people need to make appropriate adjustments in terms of basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing and transportation, in order to maintain their physical and mental health.

1.Go to bed early and get up late and wait for the daylight

During the solar term Major Snow, health preservation should follow the principle of “going to bed early and getting up late and waiting for the daylight” in the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) to ensure adequate sleep. Going to bed early can nourish the body’s yang energy and keep the body warm; getting up late can nourish the yin energy, avoid the severe cold, and use the hibernation state to conserve strength and store up energy so that the human body can achieve yin and yang in equilibrium and get ready for next spring’s vibrancy.

During Major Snow, the weather is cold. The evil of wind-cold can easily damage the human body, so we should pay attention to preventing cold and keeping warm.

2. The key to hiding essence lies in warm invigoration

Winter is the season to conserve body energy. Due to the cold climate, the physiological function of the human body is at a low ebb, tending to be peaceful. At this time, the yang energy of the human body is stored, and the yin essence is firmly held. This is the stage of energy accumulation in the body, and it is also the stage when the human body has a higher demand for energy and nutrition.

During Major Snow, taking tonics should follow nature and aim to nourish yang. Dietetic invigoration is the main method of taking tonics in winter. The so-called taking tonics is to store the essence in the body by taking tangible substances, which will generate more energy to meet the needs of the body.

Shennong Materia Medica records that ”Ganoderma lucidum is bitter, mild-natured, supplements heart qi, the center and essential qi”. Kidney is the foundation of health and the source of vitality. Ganoderma lucidum entering the kidney meridian can help the body cope with the convergence of winter, which is in line with the rules of cultivating essential qi and storing energy in winter with tangible substances.

Winter Tonic Recipes

Pork ribs stewed with Ganoderma lucidum and Hericium erinaceus

This herbal diet warms and supplements the spleen and kidneys and moistens dryness.

 

Food ingredients: 10g Ganoderma sinense slices, 20g dried Hericium erinaceus, 200g pork ribs, 3 slices of ginger, spring onions, appropriate amount of salt

Method: Wash the food ingredients, blanch the ribs for 2 to 3 minutes, put the ribs, Ganoderma sinense slices, agrocybe cylindracea, ginger and spring onions into a casserole, add water, simmer for 1 hour on low heat, and finally add salt to taste.

Description of this medicated diet: This broth is delicious, supplements the center and boosts qi, supplements deficiency and fortifies the stomach, warms and supplements the spleen and kidneys, moistens dryness and is suitable for tonifying the body in winter.

3. Escape cold and keep warm

During the Major Snow, it is recommended to avoid cold and keep warm, restrain the yang and protect the yin, and keep the head and feet warm. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the head is the place where all yang energy communicates, the three yang meridians of hand run from the hand to the head, and the three yang meridians of foot run from the head to the foot. The head is the place where the six yang meridians converge, and it is also the part where yang energy is easily emitted. Therefore, it is necessary to wear a suitable hat in winter.

As the saying goes, “the cold enters through your feet”. The feet are the farthest from the heart, the blood supply to the feet is slow and less, and the heat is not easily carried to the feet by blood circulation. And the subcutaneous fat of the feet is thinner, so the ability of the feet to resist the cold is poor. In the cold Major Snow solar term, special attention should be paid to keeping the feet warm.

It is generally recommended to conduct a foot bath for 20 to 30 minutes before going to bed in winter. A proper foot bath can accelerate the local blood circulation, so as to relax the tendons and dredge the collaterals.

4. Use spore powder skillfully to invigorate vitality in winter

Experts pointed out that Ganoderma lucidum is different from general medicines in treating certain diseases, and it is also different from general health foods in supplementing nutrients. Instead, it can regulate the balance of human body functions in two directions as a whole, mobilize the internal vitality of the body, regulate the metabolism of the human body, improve autoimmunity, and promote the normalization of the functions of all internal organs.
Especially in the winter during the epidemic situation, it is necessary to pay attention to normalized prevention, and the flu may hit after the weather turns cold, so improving immunity is the best solution at this time. Reishi mushroom spore powder is the essence that is ejected from Ganoderma lucidum when it matures. The experiments have proven that it helps boost the immune system. Moreover, Ganoderma lucidum is mild in nature and can be taken in all seasons regardless of individual physiques.
But it should be noted that Ganoderma lucidum spore powder is a health food and needs to be taken consistently.