Summer Time: A Balanced Heart ❤️🔥
The summer solstice is on June 21 and signals the start of a season with so much abundance. In the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this day represents the height of yang energy—the peak of summer. It’s the perfect time to enjoy refreshing treats like watermelon slices and cooling teas, which help cool the body. With extended daylight hours, summer is ideal for socializing, nurturing creative endeavors, and engaging in outdoor exercise.
By observing nature’s cycles, we gain insights into our own health. Connecting with seasonal transitions helps us align with both ourselves and the world around us. TCM posits that addressing bodily disharmonies is more effective when done seasonally, as our bodies reflect and are influenced by our environment.
The Heart and the Fire Element
Yin Organ: The Heart, the emperor of the body, governs blood and the Shen (Mind)
Yang Organ: Small Intestine
Element: Fire
Emotion: Joy
Sounds: Laughing
Smell: Scorched
Climate: Heat
Tissues: Blood Vessels
Fluids: Sweat
Taste: Bitter
Opens to: Tongue
Color: Red
Time: 11 am - 1 pm
Holistic Treatments
Summer is an excellent time for treatments that uplift or tonify yang, qi, and blood. However, it’s also when heat and fire patterns can become more pronounced. A balanced Heart leads to kindness and effective leadership, while an imbalanced Heart can cause:
Insomnia
Palpitations
Red complexion
Excessive sweating
Irritability, anxiety, restlessness
Depression or mania
Speech issues: excessive talking, inappropriate laughter, rapid speech, aphasia, stuttering
Summer Nutrition
Chinese medicine, with its ancient health principles, typically dislikes fad diets in favor of balanced eating habits. According to Joerg Kastner in "Chinese Nutrition Therapy," summer’s heat depletes body fluids and harms yin. Therefore, it’s recommended to consume cooling, yin foods to dissipate heat and replenish fluids. The bitter flavor aligns with the fire phase, so consuming bitter-cool and bitter-cold foods in moderation is beneficial. Light foods are also recommended to prevent indigestion.
Diet Suggestions for Summer:
Fruit: Apple, lemon, kiwi, watermelon, orange, pear, pineapple, tangerine
Cooling foods: Cucumber, endive hearts, spinach, tomato, salads, yogurt, wheat, barley, fish, rabbit, mint, dill, cilantro
Drinks: Plenty of water and heat clearing herbal teas: watermelon juice (clears heat and promotes hydration), chrysanthemum tea (clears heat, red eyes, headaches, and irritability), white tea (gently clears internal heat), peppermint tea (clears internal heat and soothes digestion), honeysuckle tea (clears heat and viral toxins), licorice root tea (clears heat and balances body), or green tea (cooling properties and many other benefits).
Combos: Mint and chrysanthemum for body and skin cooling and mild liver support. Combine them with honeysuckle for a refreshing floral tea.
Avoid: Hot and dry foods like coffee, excessively spicy foods, and ice-cold foods like ice cream, which slow the digestive system.
As summer transitions to autumn, adjusting diets accordingly and supporting cleanses becomes appropriate.
Summer Self-Care Practices
In Austin, Texas our summer arrives far earlier than in most of North America, yet the natural cycles remain consistent. To optimize health during these months, embrace growth and expansion.
Stay out later, socialize with joyful company, and make time for play and adventure.
Balance this with plenty of water, rest, and relaxation as to not deplete yin.
Daily practices:
Wake up earlier
Rest at midday
Go to bed a bit later
Engage in water activities like cool baths, showers, or swimming
Pursue joy-inducing activities and creative projects
Play like you did as a child
By following these guidelines, you can make the most of the vibrant energy that summer offers! I’m here if you are struggling with any of the imbalances listed above > Book a Free Discovery Call to discuss your options!
