We will be going into the Da Shu (大暑) solar term (节气) starting from 22 Jul to 6 Aug 2024. Da Shu is the 12th solar term out of the entire 24.
In the coming two weeks, rainfall will be less frequent as we’ll be moving into the Autumn season come August. Typically, the Autumn season brings drier air and lesser rainfall.
Coming back to Da Shu, these two weeks will be very, if not, the most humid period of the year. The temperature will be higher than other solar terms and it will also be accompanied by some rain, which will make the environment very humid and affect many people’s spleen and digestive health.
The dietary direction for these two weeks is 健脾护胃 – which means strengthening the spleen, getting rid of dampness, and protecting the stomach.
To prevent further worsening of the spleen’s health, I suggest adopting a light diet (reduce or eliminate oily, processed foods, sweet desserts, etc).
The following foods are recommended to be consumed during the Da Shu solar term:
Watermelon – For most people, watermelon is a great fruit to eat during summertime because watermelon has a strong property of clearing summer heat and quenching thirst. But please take note that people who have sticky stools and/or experience stomach discomfort after eating watermelon should avoid it. This could mean that these people have a significant amount of dampness in their spleen and can’t take watermelon yet.
Adzuki beans (赤小豆) – Adzuki beans are good for clearing summer heatiness as well as helping to remove dampness from our body. It is one of the best foods to be consumed during this solar term.
Chinese Yam (山药) – Chinese yam is very suitable for this period because it can help to strengthen our spleen and improve its ability to get rid of accumulated dampness in our body.
Winter Melon (冬瓜) – Winter melon is a recommended food for this solar term because it can help to remove the dampness in the body through urination. It can also reduce body heatiness due to the summer heat.
Mung Beans (绿豆) – Also known as green beans. You can easily prepare a mung bean drink in 5 minutes, which helps to clear summer heat in the body. It also has the property of quenching thirst, detoxing and reducing dampness. This makes it an ideal drink during this period.
General Wellness Recommendation
During these two weeks, there will be an increase in cases of 暑湿感冒 (summer flu) as compared to the usual wind heat flu (风热感冒) or wind cold flu (风寒感冒).
The characteristics of summer flu are high and persistent fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and/or skin rashes.
Unlike wind heat and wind cold flu, people with summer flu will not find relief after sweating. Thus, some people may suspect it is dengue fever.
The following are some suggestions to avoid getting summer flu in the next 4 weeks:
- Avoid entering an air-conditioned room immediately after sweating from the heat. Instead, find a sheltered place to cool down and let the sweating subside before entering the air-conditioned area.
- Avoid consuming cold drinks especially when you are feeling very warm and hot. It is best to drink room temperature water in this case so that it won’t hurt your spleen. This is the most common reason why people get summer flu.
- Avoid consuming oily and sweet foods as they will burden and weaken your spleen and increase your vulnerability to summer flu.
- Consume foods that help to strengthen your spleen and clear dampness in the body (such as those mentioned earlier in this post).
For someone who has gotten the summer flu (with the above mentioned symptoms), he/she can try to take 藿香正气丸. This is a proven TCM formula for summer flu that you can purchase in any TCM retail shop.
Have a healthy Da Shu solar term!