We are into the Jing Zhe (惊蛰) solar term (节气) starting from 5 Mar to 19 Mar 2025.
Jing Zhe is the 3rd solar term out of the entire 24, and it marks the time when insects (and pests) awaken from hibernation (蛰伏).
During this solar term, we will begin to hear more thunder and temperatures will rise a lot faster (in fact, it will be the fastest temperature increase among all the solar terms in a year).
For people who are Yin-deficient or have liver heat, you may experience frustration more easily and may have greater difficulty falling asleep during this period.
During Jing Zhe solar term, there is a tradition of consuming pears for both cultural reasons as well as dietary benefits. Here’s a little bit about the history of consuming pear during Jing Zhe:
In the past, the Jing Zhe solar term was associated with the awakening of pests and harmful insects. In Chinese, pear is called ‘梨’, which has the same pronunciation as ‘离’ – which means stay away or separate from. Thus, people believed that eating pears during this period will help them to stay away from harmful pests and diseases in the year ahead.
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 pear is consumed uncooked, it can help to clear heatiness in the stomach, bladder, and intestines. If pear is eaten cooked, it can help to nourish the Yin energy in our heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and spleen!
This makes pear an excellent fruit/food to consume because, during this period, we will experience rising temperatures and some people may get more frustrated (which can be relieved by consuming pears, whether it’s cooked or uncooked).
Another good time to consume pear is during autumn, which I will share more when the time comes.
The following are some foods that I highly recommend consuming 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 rise in surrounding temperatures.
Bamboo shoot – Bamboo shoot is helpful for clearing heat in the stomach and intestines. It also helps 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. People consume it to relieve liver heat symptoms like headache, eye pain, giddiness, and hot temper.
Celery – Similar to spinach, celery can help to reduce liver heat. Consuming celery has one other added benefit—it helps the liver to strengthen its detoxification 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 consume foods that are mentioned earlier in this post.
The other way is to get close to nature. This is a good time to go for a walk in the park, or hiking in the forests to relax one’s tension.
Doing some light exercises like brisk walking, jogging, taiji or qigong under the morning sun will also help to strengthen your body’s immunity and get rid of dampness (through sweating).
Hope you find this blog post useful!