Summer in Focus

Summer is finally here! Blue skies, warming sun, and long days to enjoy every minute! Summer is a season that holds great significance in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM principles, each season has its unique characteristics, and understanding these can help us live in harmony with nature and maintain optimal health. Let’s explore TCM's insights regarding the Summer season and how we can align ourselves with its natural rhythms to achieve overall well-being.

Summer’s Associations in Summary

Nature: Yang

Organ: Heart

Element: Fire

Flavour: Bitter

Emotion: Joy

Colour: Red

The Fire Element: The Essence of Summer

In TCM, each season is associated with one of the five elements, and Summer is closely linked to the Fire element. Like a fire, Summer is characterised by brightness, warmth, and activity. The energy of this season is expansive, and it encourages us to be expressive, social, open to possibility.

Nourishing and Protecting Your Heart

According to TCM, the Heart is associated with the Fire element, and it plays a vital role in maintaining overall health during the summer. To nurture your Heart, it is vital to engage in activities that bring you joy and make your heart sing! This can include spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature.

Embracing the Yang Energy

Summer is considered the most yang season in TCM, characterised by expansive and outward energy. It is a time of growth, abundance, and high vitality. Aligning our lives with the seasons through habits, diet, and activity is an important part of TCM. During Summer, it is recommended we wake up early and engage in activities that promote movement and circulation, such as practising Qi Gong, yoga, or going for a refreshing morning walk.

Keeping Cool and Hydrated

As the weather gets hotter during summer, it is crucial to keep our bodies cool and hydrated. According to TCM, consuming foods and beverages that have cooling properties can help balance the excess heat. While there can be a tendency to reach for iced drinks, smoothies, and ice cream, TCM takes a more measured approach to cooling that involves room temperature foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables and even hot teas that promote cooling through the body’s natural process of sweating.

Individuals with weak digestion need to be cautious about consuming cold food &drink, and even large quantities of fruits and vegetables. But if you have strong digestion without acid reflux, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, then moderate consumption of cooling foods is a great idea.  Some examples of cooling foods include watermelon, cucumber, mint, hibiscus, and green tea. Additionally, it is advisable to avoid excessive consumption of animal proteins, spicy, greasy, and bbq or fried foods, as they can generate internal heat and disrupt the body’s harmony.

Protecting Your Skin and Nurturing Your Yin

While it is essential to embrace the warmth of summer, excessive exposure to the sun can deplete the body’s Yin energy. In TCM, Yin represents the nourishing and cooling aspects of our being. To protect your Yin and maintain healthy skin, it is recommended to use natural sunscreens, wear breathable clothing, and seek shade during the hottest parts of the day. Additionally, consuming Yin-nourishing foods, such as apple, seaweed, tofu, fish and sesame seeds, can help replenish your body’s Yin reserves.

Balancing Activity and Rest in Summer

Summer is a time of high energy and the emotion associated with summer is joy. Many people are out jogging, laying out in the sun, and enjoying time with friends and family. But it is equally important to find balance by incorporating adequate rest and relaxation. TCM emphasizes the importance of nurturing our Yin energy during the hot summer months. This can be achieved through practices like Qi Gong & meditation, deep breathing, or taking short naps when needed. Listen to your body’s signals and allow yourself time to recharge to maintain overall well-being.

Lifestyle Focus in Summer 

Align Your Sleep: Follow nature by rising early with the sun and resting later in the evening.

Protect the Heart: Too much heat can disturb the Heart and mind (known as Shen). Cultivate emotional balance through meditation, deep breathing, or gentle exercises like Tai Chi or Qi Gong.

Moderate Exercise: Because your energy flows to the skin's surface, over-exerting yourself in peak heat can be highly depleting. Opt for swimming, gentle stretching, or morning walks. If you want to go for a run or engage in more strenuous activities, do so during the cool summer mornings. The morning sunlight also helps regulate our circadian rhythms. 

Dietary Focus In Summer 

Cooling & Hydrating Foods: Consume foods with cooling properties to counteract the summer heat, such as watermelon, tofu, mung beans, and leafy greens.

Add Bitterness: Incorporate bitter foods like bitter melon, arugula, and kale, which help cool the body and aid digestion.

Hydrate Mindfully: Drink room-temperature or slightly cool water rather than ice-cold drinks, as ice can damage your digestive Qi.

Herbal Teas: Cool your system and calm the Heart with herbal teas like hibiscus,  chrysanthemum or mint to reduce bloating.

Recipes

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) summer recipes focus on "clearing heat," resolving dampness, and hydrating the body. And remember, TCM advises avoiding ice-cold foods, as they shock the digestion, and instead eating at room temperature. 

Here are three balancing TCM recipes to help you stay cool and energized this summer:

1. Watermelon & Mint Salad

• TCM Benefits: Watermelon is the ultimate TCM summer food, as it clears Summer Heat and deeply replenishes body fluids. Fresh mint helps move Qi and cools the exterior of the body. Lime supports detoxification, aids digestion, promotes the smooth flow of Qi energy, and clear internal stagnation.

• How to Prepare: Cube fresh watermelon and toss with finely chopped mint leaves and a light squeeze of fresh lime juice. Try adding crumbled goats milk feta for a salty kick.

  

  
  

2. Cooling Herbal Summer Infusion

• TCM Benefits: Drinking a room-temperature or slightly warm herbal infusion stimulates sweating (which releases heat) and nourishes Yin. Antioxidant-rich hibiscus is valued for its cooling nature to clear summer heat, and promote digestion & fluid retention. It also nourishes the Kidneys and soothes the Liver. Chrysanthemum flower is mildly cold and is useful to soothe the eyes, clear skin heat, and calm the spirit.

• How to Prepare: Steep ¼ cup each of hibiscus and chrysanthemum flowers, fresh mint, thin slices of fresh ginger, and a touch green tea in hot water for 5 minutes. Strain and let it cool to room temperature before adding a spoonful of raw honey.

3. Mung Bean & Lotus Seed Ginger Congee

• TCM Benefits: Mung beans  clear internal heat and detoxify the body, while lotus seeds tonify the Spleen and calm the mind. Ginger warms the stomach to prevent the cooling ingredients from causing digestive upset. 

• How to Prepare: Simmer 1 cup of white rice (or spelt), 1/2 cup of mung beans, and a handful of dried lotus seeds in plenty of water until it forms a creamy porridge. Stir in 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger toward the end of cooking. 

Ultimate TCM Cooling Tonic & Yin Nourishing Tea

In TCM, nourishing "Yin" and building fluids is highly recommended during the dry, hot months. This blend of hibiscus, chrysanthemum, and goji berries is perfect for cooling, maintaining glowing skin and supporting circulation. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried hibiscus flowers

• ¼ cup dried chrysanthemum flowers

• ¼ cup dried goji berries

• Lime or orange zest

• 4 cups water

• Raw honey, coconut sugar, or agave to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a slow simmer.

2. Let steep for 20 minutes, or try making a cold-brew to maintain the delicate floral notes.

3. Strain the liquid into a mug to enjoy warm, or chill it in the fridge for a cooling daily wellness ritual. 

   
   

Note: These are general recommendations and may not be appropriate for everyone. A TCM assessment with a licensed practitioner is recommended for suggestions best suited to you as an individual.

Learn More:

1. Yin Yoga For a Happy Heart

2. Qigong for Love