Summer and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Summer is the time of year that is most yang. Highyang means heat, maximum activity, and moving outward with our lives and into nature.

In TCM, the element associated with summer is fire which includes: the color red, the emotion of joy, bitter tasting foods, and the body organs of heart and small intestine and it relates to the tongue. When the fire element is in balance, your heart is strong and healthy, your mind is calm and your sleep is sound. On the other hand, when the fire element is not balanced, you may either lack joy (depression) or have an excess of joy (mania).

Because summer is the hottest season, to balance the heat, you need a diet that is cooling. Fresh fruits and vegetables are great choices. Examples of cooling foods include watermelon, asparagus, sprouts, corn, cucumber, spinach, and mint. Summer is a poor time to overdo spicy foods, alcohol, or caffeine because all of these foods provide heat rather than cool.

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