recipes

Author: Shao Shujie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: In China, people traditionally refer to the period from the start of Spring Festival to the end of Grain Rain as spring, which includes six solar terms: Start of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, and Grain Rain. However, in climatology, spring refers to the period when the average temperature of a "hou" (a unit of time, with one hou being 5 days) is between 10°C and 22°C. During this period, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth begins to tilt toward the sun, receiving more direct sunlight, causing temperatures to rise. As the Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi wrote, "Spring winds sometimes bring good weather, sometimes bring bad; without spring winds, flowers cannot bloom; flowers bloom, only to be scattered by the wind." This poem accurately depicts the climatic characteristics of spring.
In northern China in early to mid-January, the weather is predominantly dry and cold, and the lowest temperatures of the year often occur during this time. Late January marks the transition period from dry to wet cold. In February, the number of low-temperature, rainy days increases, and the subsequent warming period brings high temperatures and humidity, often resulting in dense fog. By early March, after the "Awakening of Insects" solar term, occasional "late spring colds" may still occur. Additionally, spring is one of the seasons with the most dramatic temperature fluctuations. Taking North China as an example, although the Start of Spring has begun, cold air from the north still dominates the temperature, resulting in cold nights and warm days, with unpredictable temperature changes. Within a single day, the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures can be as great as 10–15°C. Another characteristic of northern weather after the Start of Spring is its strong winds. At this time, parts of northern China are still under the influence of cold, dry air from the Eurasian continent, and due to insufficient winter rainfall, the soil surface is dry, making sandy soil easily lifted by the wind. This often leads to low-temperature sandstorms. In contrast, southern China is bathed in sunshine, while some areas experience low-temperature, rainy weather. Jiangnan is often covered in continuous spring rain, and the famous yellow plum weather is prevalent during this time.
Sudden temperature changes and warming weather with unpredictable fluctuations directly affect human health. Moreover, the arrival of spring brings unfavorable factors that threaten our health: mosquitoes and flies multiply, microorganisms and viruses become active, making the human body vulnerable to invasion; as the earth revives, grasses sprout, willows unfurl, and countless flowers bloom, causing allergic individuals to frequently suffer from pollen allergies and other allergic reactions. In summary, the changes in temperature and the biosphere during spring have a significant impact on human psychology and physiology.
The main factors affecting people's health in spring are:
1. Temperature fluctuations, where the body cannot adapt to sudden changes, leading to illness.
2. Sudden warming and cold snaps, where improper warmth preservation can cause disease.
3. The breeding of microorganisms and insects, and the activity of viruses, which can make the body sick.
4. Allergies caused by pollen.
The Relationship Between Spring and Health
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) holds that humans and nature form a unified yet opposing whole. Nature provides humans with the physical environment and material conditions necessary for survival, which serve as the foundation for human existence. Therefore, the human body is inevitably affected by natural changes. The most significant change in nature is the alternation of seasons: spring warmth, summer heat, autumn coolness, and winter cold. Seasonal changes also affect the functional regulation of different organs in the human body. TCM believes that spring is a season when cold qi recedes and yang qi arises, accelerating metabolism. The internal heat accumulated over winter must be dispelled, with yang qi rising outward, creating a physiological state where yang is dominant externally but deficient internally. Thus, it is essential to nourish and maintain internal yang.
The so-called "yang qi" is what we commonly refer to as "fire power." When fire power is strong, the body's resistance is strong; when fire power is weak, resistance is weak. In spring, if yang qi is insufficient, symptoms such as aversion to cold and cold limbs may occur. If the body's "growing qi" is not properly nurtured, it not only affects the current season but may also carry over to the summer. The most important way to nourish yang qi is to regulate diet, adapt to seasonal routines, and engage in exercise.
"Wood resides in the east and governs spring qi," TCM asserts that spring belongs to the "wood" element in the five elements theory (metal, wood, water, fire, earth), which corresponds to the "liver" in the five zang organs of the human body. Therefore, it is said that "the liver governs spring." During spring, people's activity levels increase, blood circulation accelerates, and nutrient consumption rises. TCM considers that the regulation of blood flow, nutrient absorption, digestion, and supply are all related to the liver.
"Storing blood" refers to the liver's role in storing and regulating blood. The liver also governs emotions, and emotional well-being directly affects the body's ability to digest and absorb nutrients. Therefore, metabolism and the liver are closely linked in spring, making it essential to maintain liver health and keep emotions positive—avoiding excessive joy, sorrow, or anger. Only by keeping the liver's physiological functions strong can the body adapt to the vibrant changes in nature.
Additionally, an overabundance of liver qi in spring can lead to rising internal heat, which negatively affects the stomach and spleen, impairing normal digestion and absorption. Thus, it is also necessary to regulate and nourish the stomach and spleen.
Another view in TCM is that the climatic characteristics of spring are dominated by wind qi. Wind qi can act as a standalone pathogen or often combine with other pathogenic factors. When wind qi invades the body, it can cause the following pathological changes:
1. It harms the upper body, such as the common symptoms of colds, such as headaches, neck pain, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sore throat.
2. It has a wide range of effects, as wind qi is unpredictable and can move freely, often affecting the skin, muscles, meridians, head, or lower limbs.
3. "When wind prevails, movement occurs," and its symptoms are characterized by movement, such as convulsions, spasms, tremors, involuntary movements, or even opisthotonos and stiff necks, which are often attributed to wind and classified as wind-related diseases.
4. It combines with other pathogens, such as when wind qi invades the stomach and spleen along with dampness in summer, often resulting in symptoms like poor digestion, bloating, and diarrhea.
Furthermore, wind can combine with pathological products in the body, such as phlegm, forming wind-phlegm, which can cause various conditions when it invades the upper body.
The principles of spring health preservation are:
1. Spring generates yang—focus on nurturing yang qi.
2. The liver governs spring—nourish the liver and protect the stomach and spleen.
3. Keep warm—strengthen physical exercise and pay attention to mental regulation.