Why Is It Not Good to Take Chinese Herbal Medicine in Summer?

Taking Chinese Herbal Medicine in Summer

During the summer, the weather is hot and humid, leading to weak spleen and stomach function and poor appetite. Additionally, most people dislike drinking traditional Chinese medicine due to its bitter taste. Furthermore, there are often many tonic herbs in Chinese medicine, and excessive consumption in summer can easily lead to heatiness, which is not conducive to health. When taking Chinese herbal medicine in summer, it is important to control the dosage and drink some herbs that strengthen the spleen, promote digestion, and stimulate appetite. At the same time, attention should also be paid to nourishing qi and nourishing yin, as well as clearing heat and dissipating dampness.

1. Due to a lack of understanding of Chinese medicine, many people limit the use of decoctions to tonics, especially yang-tonifying herbs. However, during the hot summer, excessive consumption of yang-tonifying herbs can easily lead to heatiness.

2. In summer, the hot and humid weather can easily affect the spleen and stomach, causing them to become weak and leading to decreased appetite, often referred to as "苦夏" (bitter summer). During this time, people tend to dislike oily food and prefer cool and refreshing foods. The bitter taste of decoctions makes them even harder to swallow.

What should be considered when taking Chinese herbal medicine in summer?

1. Due to the hot and humid weather in summer and the weakness of the spleen and stomach, herbs that strengthen the spleen, promote digestion, dispel dampness, and awaken the spleen should be included in the formula, such as yam, chicken gizzard lining, charred hawthorn, amomum, and eupatorium fortunei.

2. Blood-tonifying herbs can easily stagnate the spleen and stomach, so the dosage should not be excessive.

3. During the hot summer, yang-tonifying herbs should be started in small doses and gradually increased to avoid overdoing it and causing imbalance.

4. The heat and dampness of summer can easily consume qi and damage yin, leading to symptoms such as fatigue and excessive sweating. Attention should be paid to nourishing qi and nourishing yin, clearing heat, and dissipating dampness. Herbs such as American ginseng, radix pseudostellariae, schisandra chinensis, radix ophiopogonis, watermelon rind, and summer gentian can be added to achieve these effects.