“Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.”

~ Roman Payne

SUMMER SOLSTICE

SUMMER ACCORDING TO CHINESE MEDICINE 

Fire represents a radiant, life-sustaining energy and is emotionally related to joy.  When your fire is balanced, you feel a warm and joyous energy during summer.  

A well-tended fire allows you to blossom and illuminate.  However when you are out-of-sync with the energy of summer, this fire can take a wrong turn. 

Too little or too much fire can manifest as depleted energy, anger, dehydration, disturbed spirits, increased infections, anxiety, heart palpitations, and sleeplessness.

⁠SUMMER YANG SHENG TIPS

1. SLEEP IN A DARK SPACE

If your drapery in your bedroom is inadequate, consider a pair of silk eyeshades.  We recommend taking a short nap in the afternoons (see our recent post on 子午觉 midnight-midday-sleep ). Naps are great for restoring your energy during the hotter months of the year.⁠

2. WATCH OUT FOR EXCESSIVE SWEATING

Sweat belongs to the fluids of the Heart according to Chinese Medicine and excessive sweating damages your Heart yin. How does this damage manifest? Other than dehydration, you might start feeling restless and have trouble getting a full night's rest. Workout to a mild sweat and make sure to hydrate adequately.

3. EAT LIGHT

This is the season to indulge in summer crops. Cool off from summer heat with melons and stone fruit that are packed with flavors and juice.  If you have excessive heat going on (thirst, irritability), it might be a good idea to add bitter-tasting vegetables such as arugula, watercress, and bitter melon to your diet.   Try a cucumber and herb sandwich to keep things light and fresh.  

Balance off by adding foods that also invigorate your earth energy and Spleen: shan yao (Chinese yam), ginger, millet, rice, peanuts, adzuki beans, barley, lotus root, mushrooms, asparagus, bok choy, and perilla leaves. ⁠

4. AVOID DRAFTS AND REDUCE USE OF AC

As much as the cool air feels so refreshing on a hot and muggy day, prolonged exposure to air-conditioning can lead to headaches, dry skin, respiratory issues and general malaise.  If you are often indoors, ensure your carpeting and drapery is clean, and invite plenty of fresh air into the room.  

5. REFRAIN FROM ANGER

Anger generates more heat, instead take the opportunity to cultivate mindfulness and compassion towards yourself and others. If you encounter a situation where you’re likely to blow up when speaking up, say nothing at all. “Silence is sometimes the best answer.” - Dalai Lama.  If mindfulness is not enough, try these 11 methods to deal with anger.

SUMMER FOODS TO EAT

In China it’s customary to celebrate summer with cooling foods such as cold noodles, wontons, rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and dishes made with summer produce such as lotus root, watermelon radishes, bitter melons, celery, plums, cucumbers, enoki mushrooms, wild rice, string beans, jicama, water chestnuts, and aromatic herbs.

COOLING TEAS FOR SUMMER

Here are some of our favorite teas to invigorate your heart and spirits this summer:
Add a small handful of herbs as needed in hot water, steep for 5 minutes, take a deep breath, enjoy!

Lotus Leaf
Helps to alleviate restlessness and relief summer heat.

Tulsi
A sweet, aromatic herb that helps to reduce anxiety, insomnia and supports the immune system.

We love mung beans as a simple medicinal food to quell summer heat.  It’s packed with nutrients, great for detoxification, inexpensive, easy to find and make.  Here are two versions, savory and sweet.  Ensure mung beans are soaked at least 6-8 hours prior to cooking, overnight is best. Usually 1 cup of bean to 3 cups of water is a good ratio for soaking. Be sure to discard the soaking water and cook with fresh water for both recipes.

In addition to mung beans, this sweet recipe also calls for soaked lotus seeds.  The ratio of lotus seeds to mung beans should be 1:4.  Be sure to remove the center sprout from lotus seeds after soaking, otherwise you will be eating bitter soup.

Place mung beans, lotus seeds, and water into a stockpot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes or until beans are soft.  Add sugar to taste, we prefer sucanat or coconut sugar for the minerals and micronutrients.  

Chilled sweet mung bean soup is super delicious on a hot summer day.  Soup will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.

If you have a cold constitution, stick to the savory version.