Tea and the Body

              In the past several months I have been exposed and involved in Chinese tea ceremony. Although grew up drinking tea, not until recent did I really start to feel the spirit of it.

              But as a new Tea Drinker I do not have enough credit to talk about the ceremony itself. Here what I really want to share is the health benefit that I have experienced and concluded according to the 5-element system, and how it connects and affects human body.

             

In general, regular Chinese tea is divided into 6 types.

1.    Green Tea: Fresh, not fermented

2.    White Tea: Very slightly fermented

3.    Yellow Tea: More fermented than white but still very slight

4.    U-Long: About half-fermented

5.    Red Tea: Fully fermented

6.    Black Tea: Fully fermented and aged

The chart below is self explanatory:

Element	Color	Tea	Season	Organ (Meridian)	Nature
Wood	Green	Green Tea	Spring	Liver/Gall Bladder	Cool
Fire	Red	Red Tea	Summer	Heart/Small Intestine	Warm
Earth	Yellow	Yellow Tea, U-Long	Last 18 days of every season/all year	Stomach/Spleen; Triple Energizer/Pericardium	Neutral
Metal	White	White Tea	Autumn	Lungs/Large Intestine	Cool
Water	Black	Black Tea	Winter	Bladder/Kidneys	Warm

              My point here is that if we know our health type or condition, we may be able to help ourselves by using the right type of tea as a beverage remedy. Sometimes TCM is like art, there are basic principles but no rigid rules. So when comes to how to choose the right tea we still need to be flexible or even creative.

              There are many aspects in tea drinking but here I only want to point out the basic principle, which is to balance the body using the nature of the tea. In general, people who were born and live long enough in northern area tend to have more cold inside the body system. So choose warm tea like red tea or black will help to balance the energy. Obviously, people from the south can drink more cooler tea like fresh green tea and white tea to reduce the excessive heat inside. But these days people travel and move often. In that case we need to learn and feel more about ourselves, so we can figure out what type of body energy we have, and then take advantage of the gift that the Mother Nature offers us. Many modern research has shown how benefit tea is scientifically, but that is only 50% of the picture, only if we choose the right tea for the body can us really benefit from it.

              For WNY local friends, I have started to run small tea ceremony session at my little classroom to experiences the healing effects of tea for our body. Due to the size limitation we can only hold small group of people. If you are interested feel free to call me or email about details.

July 7th, and July 23rd,2011. "Light Heat" and "Severe Heat", the 5th and 6th small Summer season arrives

      From July 7th 2011 to August 8th 2011 will be the seasons of "Light Heat" and "Severe Heat", the hottest time of the year. Maybe too hot that makes people feel uncomfortable. This is when the celestial longitude reaches 105 degree (light heat) and 120 degree (severe heat).

    

      Both seasons are named to indicate the degree of the heat. Since last season "summer solstice", the earth has gathered the max amount energy from the sun, and from now on it will start to "release" it. The name "light" and "severe" are comparative. "Light heat" is only "light" compares to "Severe heat", but don't get it wrong as even the "light heat" can get really hot for human. But wait till "severe heat" arrives, that will be the "peak" of the heat. Both seasons share some common characters and affect human body similarly. Here I put them together to talk about.

      The first and most obvious thing during this time is that we sweat more. And this is the important function our body has to maintain a normal body temperature. Research shows that human skin temperature is lower than actual body temperature, about 32 ℃. When the air temperature exceed 32 ℃ it will start to "heat up" our body, so our body will then sweat to release the heat. When our body cannot release the extra heat in time, there will be symptoms like dizziness, nauseous and even fainting, which is known as heatstroke. The first step to prevent is to make sure we are well hydrated. There are many sources for body fluid. Water always comes first, and then we can have fruits and vegetables. If you sweat more than usual, put a little bit salt in the water you drink. The basic summer diet rule still applies, eat things that are lite, fragrant, and low in grease or fat. Lite foods are easy to digest and fragrant foods increase appetite. Soupy foods are the best choice.

      When the temperature gets too high, people tends to get lazy, weak, irritated and frustrated easy. Back to the season-organ theory, the heart is the organ of the season and it is connected with the emotion of happiness. So keep or create a good mood is the key to maintain a healthy heart in the hot days. Listening to the right music is a simple and effective way to adjust our body physically and mentally. Even the ancient Chinese had noted on these seasons that "Use music to remove the worry, is better than taking medications".

     Living in a technological world, sometimes we have forgot about how much the nature offers us. In hot days our first reaction is to run into a room with air conditioner in it. Well, air conditioner is indeed one of the greatest human invention but just like medication and drugs, it is made to make our life easier. If we simply abuse them, they will backfire at us. AC-ed room is not the only place to seek peace and coolness. Many places like parks with trees and ponds, lakeside, beach and mountains are all great places we can be. Even just sit in the shadow at your little backyard can provide the cool in the heart and mind.  However, again, don't take any saying to extreme. Under many circumstances we do need to avoid the heat by all means, Especially around early afternoon (around 2pm). Also make sure to adjust the temperature in your car while driving.

      This is also one the best time of year for those who suffers from cold related symptoms, such as arthritis, excessive body fluid and digestive issues. For these people I suggest the treatment of "heat over heat". Using the external heat from the nature and take some heat internally. The simplest remedy is hot water or hot tea. These extra heat will balance and remove the cold that hides in the deepest area of our body where is extremely hard to reach in.  Do not be afraid of the heat and sun. And also don't be "greedy" on cold drinks. I'm saying as part of the treatment, so if you are willing to receive it, you follow.

      To make things simpler, here are the "6 stages" to pass during these hot seasons.

      Stage 1: Nourishing the Yang energy. Yang energy is considered as the force of our physical body. Yang energy deficit is the root of most heath issues. As we talked about that since last small season "summer solstice", Yang energy had reached its peak and started to decrease. Therefore make sure this process is natural and smooth so we will have good level of Yang energy to face the winter.

      Solution: Maintain good balance between body temperature and room temperature. 27℃ seems to be high but it is recommended. Keep the room dry and well ventilated. Also do not over eat or drink cold food and drink.

      Stage 2: Emotions. Human emotions are wavier during hot days, and this affects the blood pressure heavily, which can cause many heart and digestion related issues such as angina, myocardial infarction, hear failure and stroke.

      Solution: Consciously and actively adjust the emotions, especially for those who have had heart issue or blood pressure issue.

      Stage 3: High Humidity. This is also the most humid time of the year. High humidity can cause headache, depression, drowsiness, chest pain and bad appetite. For those who are already high in excessive body fluid this may be a greater challenge. 

      Solution: Eat lite food for easy digestion. Eat food that reduces heat and fluid, such as green bean, red bean, and pearl barley. Also be cautious about room humidity, make sure the room ventilation is good.

      Stage 4: Sleeping. Summer nights are short and hot. Many people cannot sleep too well because of that. Low quality sleep in summer breaks the Yin-Yang balance of the body which can also cause heart and blood related issue.

      Solution: Eat small and lite dinner, avoid emotional impact at night. 

      Stage 5: Diet. Summer time our digestive system is weaker than usual. And the appetite can be up and down. 

      Solution: Eat less than you want. 70% full is ideal. Keep good nutrient and taste balance. Eat less red meat, more fresh water fish and vegetables. Also some hot teas. The root of lotus has the functions of strengthening the spleen, reducing harmful heat and helping with sleep, calming the mind and removing the excessive body fluid. Use your cooking talent to make some lotus root soup or dessert, that's both healthy and tasty. Also if you are able and willing to get some eel, right now is the best time to use them not just as food, but also as remedy. Eel is warm in nature and it nourishes the liver and spleen. It also strengthens the tendon and helps to reduce the pain from arthritis.

      Stage 6: Workout. Summer workout is necessary, it will help the body to detox and maintain good energy level. But over-sweat can cause high blood viscosity. 

      Solution: Make sure to hydrate the body in time and do not do heavy workout at noon or when it is extremely hot. One hour after meal is the ideal time to work out. 

My apology for the delay

Hi readers:
      It has been crazy busy me for the past month and still will be for next month between traveling oversea and works.I have just returned from a mountain retreat in China and will be heading to Vietnam and China again today.
      The 5th small summer season "light heat" has arrived on July 7th, and the next, also the last small summer season "severe heat" will arrive on July 23rd.
      I will try my best to post the seasonal article for "light heat" in the next couple days.
      Sorry about the delay and thank you all for the support!

June 22nd, 2011. "Summer Solstice", the 4th small Summer season arrives

      “Summer Solstice” is another well known season. Being the opposite of the Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice arrives when the celestial longitude reaches 90 degree, and the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent. This is when the Northern Tropic, AKA Tropic of Cancer, which refers to the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith, comes to place. In this day we will have the longest day time and the shortest night in the year.

      Although being the “Noon” of the year, this is not the hottest time yet. As the heat is still accumulating near the earth surface and it will reach its real peak around mid July to Mid August. According to the Yin-Yang theory, when one side reaches the most, it will start to reduce and the opposite side will start to increase. In Chinese, Summer Solstice “夏至” literally means “Summer Most” or “Yang Most”. This is when the Yang energy has reaches its most and start to die down and the Yin energy start to grow. Just like Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice is also one of the most important seasons of year. During this season we need to not only take advantage of the strong Yang energy, but also protect and nourish the new born Yin energy.

      The key word of summer is “长”, means “grow”, “express” or “boost”. “Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon” stated that during summer time “Keep the mind anger-free; Let flowers be in full bloom; Free the energy; Express the emotions; This is the 'grow' energy of the summer”. Meaning during the summer we should keep the mind happy, open, content, and balanced. Like the plants need the sunlight to grow, we should communicate with the external energy, stay passionate, optimistic and extroversive to help smoothening the energy flow. There is another famous saying “心静自然凉”, meaning in the hot season, one can still acquire natural coolness through a peaceful and calm heart (mind). This is classic rule of summer mental cultivation.

      Living wise, we should stay with the summer rule of “Sleep late, wake up early”. “Heat harm the Qi easy”, is because we sweat more and the body can lose too much fluid easy thus cause all kinds of problems. When doing outdoor activities, we should avoid the hottest time of the day, instead try to take regular nap during this time. The best times of the day to do outdoor activities are early morning and dawn. Go to places with water or trees where the air is fresh and cool. Stay with mild exercises such as walking, jogging and Tai Chi, because we don’t want to over sweat, which can harm both Yin and Yang energy. After exercises, drink a cup of salty water or salty green bean soup, but don’t drink too much ice cold water. Also never take a cold water shower, which can cause problems like arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis in a long run. Regular warm water shower is recommended. During summer time, our body is “open”, physically meaning the skin and pores are open, this also makes the harmful energy “enters” the body easy. Therefore make sure to adjust the room temperature well. Although it’s hot, while asleep try not to have the fan or AC blowing directly at your bed.

      Eating wise, according to the 5-element theory, summer is the heart time, and if the heart (fire) is too strong it will harm the lungs (metal). We also lose lot body fluid from sweating, as sweat is the fluid of the heart, if the heart loses too much fluid and don’t have enough mineral (salt), it may not function right. Therefore the TCM believes this is the time to eat more sour (to solidify the surface), and more salty (to make up for what the heart has lost). Also according to the Yin-Yang theory, during summer time our Yin energy is hiding inside, meaning the inside of our body (organs) is actually colder than outside (skin), therefore we should actually avoid eating or drinking too much cold in the summer. Please notice the key word being “too much”, back to our balancing theory that nothing is absolute good or bad, it only becomes harmful when there is too much. Eating things like watermelon, green bean soup or sour plum will help to reduce the excessive body heat, but taking too much will make the already cold organs even colder, especially the stomach and spleen, then cause stomach flu, diarrhea and vomiting.

      To make it simply, here are three key words for summer eating: Balance, Base(alkali) and Water. Balance refers to nutrition balance and intake-spend balance. During summer time our body metabolism is stronger thus produce more acid than usually. Base foods, such as most vegetable and fruits, are to counterbalance those acids. Also avoid too much acid foods such as red meat, soda drinks, dairy product and sugar. Finally, drink enough water to stay hydrated.

June 6th, 2011. "Grain in Ear", the 3rd small Summer season arrives

      Grain in Ear is when the celestial longitude reaches 75 degree. Being the 3rd small summer season and the 2nd hot season, the weather is in general stabilized.

      During this season one main health symptom is laziness, or tiredness. Mainly it is because of the high temperature and humidity. This makes us harder to sweat so our body is high in humidity internally as well. When internal wetness meets external humidity and heat, it will make our body “sticky” and heavy.

      Again, our basic principle of staying healthy is to improve our body function and energy level. And the basic principle to achieve that is to stay “smooth” both physically and emotionally. These are the words I repeat almost for very small season we talk about, because they are that important.

      We mentioned before that for summer we need to go to bed late and get up early. This is to help us taking full advantage of the sun light, AKA Yang energy for us. Drink enough water so at least our body is hydrated and able to sweat. Also we have entered the season when we can actually take more shower, this will help the body to release the extract body heat. But one thing to remember is try NOT to take shower right after sweating. Wait for a little bit so the water or extra wetness will not be able to harm the body through the open pores. Just as the “Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon” says, “wetness right after sweating will cause acne (skin problems)”.

      Food wise we need to stay with the “summer rule” which is lite and mild. Eat more grain and greens but less meat. Summer is also the season of “bitter”. Bitter is the taste of heart and it will help us to lower the “heart fire”. Meanwhile since we sweat more, make sure to also eat enough salt, not over eating, to make up for the lost. Salty is also the opposite of bitter, so maintain a good bitter-salty level will also help our heart-kidney relationship staying balanced, which is very important for summer.

May 21st, 2011. "Grain Fills", the 2nd small Summer season arrives

      "Grain Fills" is the 2nd small summer season and the 1st small hot season. The celestial longitude reaches 60 degree. From now on the temperature will reach a new high level. But meanwhile the amount of rain will increase too, and it can still be cold during early morning and at night, also after rain. Make sure still cover yourself well during sleep to avoid catching cold.

  
      It is recommended to go to bed later but get up earlier. Here the "late" only means about 10pm in ancient time, or soon after sunset. As the sun rises early, so should we. This will guarantee us to take full advantage of the summer Yang energy. However, in these days if we do so, some of us may feel sleepy or tired during daytime. One way to adjust it is to take short naps during day time. That is noon nap for most of us. It doesn't need to be long and try to lie down instead of resting your head on the table or desk. Resting or sleeping on desk can cause temporary low blood pressure and lower the blood supply in the brain, which can make us even more tired. If you really don't have the luxury to take a good nap, you can at least take a short walk or meditate.
      
      Besides the heat, this is also a season with high humidity and sometimes wind. One common issue is skin problem such as rashes and rubella. TCM considers these issues have several causes:

1. Internal humidity meets external heat wind or cold wind, the "battle" takes place under the skin level therefore causing reactions.
2. "Overheated" stomach meets harmful wind, internal heat "trapped" at the skin level then cause reactions
3. Taking too much rich or heavy food that produce too much fluid inside the body, then being heated by body heat, the fluid starts to surface thus cause reactions.

Although they seems to be different, we can still see the common reasons which are:

1. The skin doesn't "breath" right. This is usually caused by cold. When the skin is hit by cold, pores will close.The solution is to make sure stay warm even in a hot day so you can sweat well. That is to allow the skin "breath" better so you will not retain fluid either. Avoid too much cold drinks and possibly try not to use air conditioner too often.
2. Too much unprocessed energy stays inside of the body. This is usually caused by inappropriate food. The solution is simple, eat light and mild food meanwhile take good care of your digestive system.

      Recommended foods include red bean, barley, green bean, cucumber, celery, water chestnut, black wood fungus, carrot, tomato, water melon, yam and fish. Avoid heavy and rich food such as fat, too much seafood, deep fried food, strong spices (raw garlic, scallion, horseradish, hot pepper, etc), especially for those who are not in ideal health condition. 

May 6th, 2011. "Beginning of Summer ", the 1st small Summer season arrives

      Many of us consider Summer solstice (around June 22nd) as the beginning of summer, but the Chinese sees that as the "peak" of the summer. And since that day on, Yang energy starts to drop and Yin energy starts to grow. Back to the real "beginning of summer", which indicates the end of spring and the beginning of summer season. This is also the last warm small season, and next small season will be the starts of hot season.

      For human beings, summer is the Heart (and small intestine) season. Ancient Chinese believed that summer energy directly connect and interact with our heart energy. Naturally, how to take care of our heart will be the main topic throughout the whole summer season.

      TCM describes heart as the "master of the body" or "the emperor of the organs". And heart is the "house" of human's soul or spirit. Therefore the word "Heart" in Chinese (心）has 2 meanings: the actual physical heart and the mind or consciousness (the acceptances or reactions to the external environment, such as mental activity, thought and emotions).

      Functions wise, heart is in charge of blood and pulse, also emotions ("Shen" 神, in Chinese). The first part is easy to understand as that is the known physical functions of the heart. Heart is also the organ of emotions, as we mentioned earlier that heart is the house of souls or spirits. In general sense, "Shen"(soul or spirit) means the external expression of human life, such as body shape, face color, eye expressions, speech, response, body languages or so. In narrower sense, it means the emotion, mental activities or consciousness. "Essence" is the material foundation of both human life and "Shen". "Shen" originally come from the "congenital essence" when the embryo is formed. During growth our Shen is supported and nourished by food and water we have. Shen also have two physical functions: 1, under normal condition, it accept and react to objective stimulations to conduct mental, conscious and emotional activities; 2, it acts as the master or conductor of life activities, therefore it is considered as the emperor of all other organs. All other organs work coordinately under the orders of the heart.
      
      Although summer has officially arrived, the temperature can still be low in early morning or late at night, and very different from day time. Therefore don't be too "excited" about the hot daytime and forget to wear enough for nighttime. Also, take full advantage of the summer Yang energy by going to bed a little bit late (not late late) and getting up earlier (with sun rise). A short nap at noon will be even better if possible. As the summer energy increases, we human beings sometimes are easily irritated. Therefore another key method for summer health preservation is "calm-cultivation". Try not to have strong emotional impacts, especially extreme excitement or anger. Do some activities that will calm the body and mind such as gardening, walking, fishing, meditating, Yoga, and Tai Chi. Summer is the heart season and "happiness" is the heart emotion. Stay in a happy but calm mood is the best way to communicate with your heart energy and nourish it. For body fluid, heart is connected with sweat, or we can say sweat is the "heart fluid". In this sense, according to the balanced theory, we DO need to allow our body to sweat in order for us to fit into the summer, meanwhile we also need to make sure that we do not over sweat so we won't lose our "heart fluid". Drink enough water to stay hydrated. During this small season (1st summer season), only milder exercises are recommended.
      
      Regarding food, as this is the time when our liver energy is getting weaker but heart energy getting stronger, the main rule is to help the kidney energy and balance the stomach energy. Lite and mild food is always recommended, plus food that are low in fat, high in fiber and easy to digest.