We are into the Jing Zhe (惊蛰) solar term (节气) starting from 4 Mar to 19 Mar 2024. Jing Zhe is the 3rd solar term out of the entire 24.
Jing Zhe means this is the time when the insects (and pests) start to wake up from hibernation (蛰伏).
In this solar term, we will begin to hear more thunder, and the temperature will increase a lot faster (in fact, it will be the fastest increase compared to all other solar terms throughout the year).
For people who are Yin deficient or have liver-heat, this is the period when you might experience frustration more easily and more difficulty falling asleep.
There is a tradition that people like to eat pears during Jing Zhe for both cultural reasons as well as dietary benefits.
A little bit about the history of eating pear during Jing Zhe. In the past, the Jing Zhe solar term was also associated with the waking up of pests and harmful insects. And the Chinese name of the pear is ‘梨’, which has the same pronunciation as ‘离’ – which means stay away or separate from. Thus, people believe that eating pears during this period will help them to stay away from harmful pests and diseases in this year.
Coming back to the medicinal effect of pears, it is recorded in 本草通玄 (a more recent medicinal classic that was created 300+ years ago) that pear has the properties of:
“生吃清六腑之热，熟吃滋五脏之阴”.
The above phrase means that if the pear is eaten uncooked, it can clear the heatiness in the stomach, bladder, and intestines. If the pear is eaten cooked, it can nourish the Yin energy in our heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and spleen!
This makes pear an excellent fruit/food to eat because, during this period, we will experience an increase in temperature and some people may get more frustrated (which can be relieved by eating pears – cooked/uncooked).
Another good time to eat pear is during autumn which I will share more when the time comes.
The following are some foods that I highly recommend to eat during this solar term.
Pear – Raw pear is good for moisturizing the lungs, especially in warm and dry weather. Cooked pear is good for nourishing Yin, especially for people who are Yin deficient. Eating pear in this solar term will help you cope better with the increase in surrounding temperature.
Bamboo shoots – Bamboo shoots can clear the heat in the stomach and intestines. It can also help to dissolve phlegm so it is an ideal food for people with Dampness and Heat body constitution.
Spinach – Spinach is one of the few vegetables that can clear heatiness in the liver. Thus, people eat it to relieve liver-heat symptoms like headaches, eye pain, giddiness, and hot temper.
Celery – Similar to spinach, celery can also reduce liver heat. Celery has one more added benefit which is detox. It helps the liver to strengthen its detox capability.
General Wellness Recommendation
In this season (this solar term and the next 3), our liver will easily go into an excessive state as Spring aligns with the wood element (same as the liver). This can make a person easily frustrated and hot-tempered. One way to prevent this is to eat foods (as mentioned above) and the other way is to get in touch with nature.
This is also a good time to go for a walk/hiking in the park, or forests or get in touch with nature to relax one’s tension.
Doing some light exercises like brisk walking, jogging, taiji, qigong under the morning sun will help your body strengthen your immunity and get rid of dampness (through sweating), especially in this solar term.
Hope you find this blog post useful!