[24 Solar Terms: Grain in Ear] Dampness can easily lead to loss of appetite, fatigue, and diarrhea. Traditional Chinese medicine recommends mung bean and old duck soup to help clear heat and detoxify.

Today (June 6th) is "Grain in Ear," the ninth of the twenty-four solar terms, which heralds the start of hot weather. Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing said that after this solar term, people are prone to symptoms such as loss of appetite, fatigue, and diarrhea. Therefore, she recommends mung bean and old duck soup to help clear heat and detoxify, as well as the third movement of Yi Jin Jing, "Holding the Heavenly Gate with Palms," to help promote blood circulation and relax muscles and tendons.

Summer heat and dampness can easily invade the body and affect the function of the spleen and stomach. Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing said that "Mangzhong" is a solar term before "Summer Solstice", a solar term when the sun reaches 75 degrees of ecliptic longitude. "Mangzhong" is a busy season for sowing, and it is a suitable time to sow some awned crops, such as wheat and rice. It is said that "thunder during Mangzhong means a full field of grain", so thunder and rain during "Mangzhong" are conducive to a good harvest.

After entering June and July, the Jiangnan region, including Hong Kong, enters a rainy season, the plum rain season. June and July are the ripening season for plums, hence the name plum rain. At the same time, because of the heavy rainfall and hot and humid weather, clothes are not easy to dry and are prone to mold, so "plum rain" also has the connotation of mold.

Summer heat and dampness can easily invade the human body.

Increased rainfall and rising temperatures create a humid and muggy environment, potentially hindering the body's perspiration. This makes the spleen and stomach particularly vulnerable to the invasion of dampness and heat, as they prefer dryness and dislike dampness. Consuming sweets or damp foods, such as high-protein foods, seafood, and foie gras, during this humid weather can exacerbate dampness and phlegm accumulation, leading to fatigue, a feeling of heaviness in the limbs, and a lack of energy. In this relatively humid weather, it's important to strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness by eating more foods that clear heat and dampness. For those prone to heatiness, it's recommended to eat mung beans, barley, lotus leaves, and winter melon, which help clear summer heat. Summer offers many seasonal fruits, such as mangoes, lychees, and longans. These foods are relatively warming and can easily cause internal heat. When humidity is high, consuming more of these foods can easily lead to symptoms of damp-heat, so it is recommended to eat less of them.

Mung beans, Job's tears, lotus leaves, and winter melon can help clear away summer heat.

Mangoes, lychees, and longans are considered warming in nature and can easily cause internal heat and inflammation.

In summer, it's recommended to close your eyes and rest at midday, and to "sweat without getting wet."

Summer days are long and nights are short, with longer hours of sunshine, so it's recommended to close your eyes and relax at midday. Also, the weather is humid, so remember to wash and change your clothes frequently to keep them dry. If your home is damp, it's best to use a dehumidifier. There's a saying, "Don't let sweat get damp," meaning that showering immediately after sweating will hinder normal perspiration. It's best to dry yourself with a towel, rest for a while, and then shower.

Dr. Huang Jingjing suggests closing your eyes and relaxing during the midday hours in summer.

Clothes should be washed and changed frequently and kept dry.

Dr. Huang Jingjing recommends a mung bean and old duck soup for clearing heat and removing dampness. She explains that this combination of ingredients clears heat, removes dampness, and nourishes yin. The soup is made with mung beans, Smilax glabra, and old duck.

Ingredients: 100g mung beans, 30g Smilax glabra (Tufuling), 1 old duck, 2-3 slices of ginger, 2-3 slices of dried tangerine peel, and appropriate amount of water.

Instructions: 1. Remove the internal organs and tail from the old duck, then blanch it. 2. Soak mung beans and Smilax glabra for 1 hour. 3. Put all ingredients into a pot and add 3000ml of water. 4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 3 hours.

Overall, mung beans have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting diuresis and removing dampness, and nourishing yin. They are cold in nature and sweet in taste, entering the spleen and stomach meridians. They can clear heat and detoxify, quench thirst and promote diuresis, making them a good medicine for relieving summer heat. Smilax glabra (Tufuling) is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, entering the liver and stomach meridians. It can promote diuresis and detoxify, and facilitate joint movement. Old duck meat nourishes yin and replenishes deficiency, promotes urination, treats dysentery caused by heat, and is mildly nourishing yin.

In addition to the soup, Dr. Huang Jingjing also recommends the third movement of Yi Jin Jing, "Holding the Heavenly Gate with the Palms," suggesting doing it 8-10 times after waking up in the morning to help promote blood circulation and relax muscles and tendons.

Introducing the third form of the Yi Jin Jing: "Holding the Heavenly Gate with the Palm".

1/ Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2/ With palms facing the dantian and palms facing upwards, slowly raise them to the chest position.

3/ Then flip both palms upwards.

4/ Simultaneously lift your toes

5/ After one breath, slowly lower both hands back to the dantian position.