Celebrating Spring through Traditional Chinese Medicine
O
n January 31st, the Chinese New Year welcomes the biggest shift in energies of the entire 60 year wheel of Chinese Astrology. The Year of the Yang Wood Horse is upon us and
it is going to be wonderful! The entire year will be full of uplifting optimism and compelling inspiration as we are guided into purpose- ful action of the most elegantly simple and powerfully fruitful kind. Light, hope and clarity of vision gallop into 2014, according to Karen Abler Carrasco. The Horse’s main attribute is to preserve its freedom and power-
ful health. We can take advantage of this energy by stepping up and out of any old clutter, stored memories, should-have’s or regrets. The time to deal with that is over for now. Untangle your thoughts quick- ly and get clear on what it is that you truly desire in this lifetime. With the energy of the Horse firmly grounded in spring, this season corresponds to the “energetic Chinese” Liver. Its function in TCM is about the smooth spreading of all emotions and cycles. TCM includes emotion to be every bit as important as a physical stagna- tion and the emotion of the Spring/Liver time is Anger, whether explosive or repressed. If you feel stuck in life, the most important thing you can do is to work with your body to release that energy and provide harmony of Qi. The antidote for anger and resentment is compassion and
kindness. A healthy “Liver” shows on the outside of the body in such ways as a healthy glow, clear shiny eyes, no fluctuations in any cycle of the body (digestion, sleep, menses) cheerfulness and freedom from pain. To maintain the balance of spring energy, Taoists believe there
are two levels of diet. One is normal eating and the other is the “Forgotten Food” diet. Normal Eating is using the most nutritive foods you can find. One should use correct food preparation (no raw, cold, unclean food) seasonal considerations, tastes and the timely consumption of these foods are important. The foods that we eat on a daily basis are considered to nourish us only temporarily because they may also nourish the bacteria, viruses and parasites that share our bodies with us. This ‘temporariness’ is a very impor- tant concept, since these foods tend to go bad quite quickly. It is said that the difference between a nourishing food and a poison is about three hours. The Forgotten Food diet is seen today as Chinese Herbal
Therapy. In this practice, those parts of the plant, animal and even minerals that we don’t normally eat, are considered for their healing
26 Natural Nutmeg April 2014
and restorative properties. The bark, roots, leaves, twigs of many plants and trees, animal and reptile parts and even certain rocks and resins have all been shown to have medicinal properties. In the Chinese Materia Medica there are over 10,000 entries. In the Taoist way, there is no clear cut distinction between what is considered food and what is considered medicine. Literally everything we put in our mouth affects the body in some way. Chinese Medicine believes we should prepare the body one
month in advance of the coming season. There is a very easy way to do this and bring a forgotten food diet into your normal eating diet. These are Chinese Herbs prepared to keep the body in balance throughout the year. The formula name is the Four Things Soup. To make 1 cup of a
tea a day you would put 8 cups of water into a non-aluminum pot. Bring the tea to a boil and turn down to a low simmer for about 1 hour and the soup should be about 4 cups. Refrigerate after indulg- ing in your 1st cup of Restorative Tea. The herbs are pretty easily available but please call the school
if you need any help locating any of them. Four Things Soup:
• Dang Quai (Angelica Sinensis) (double amount in fall) • Shou Di Huang (Prepared Rehmannia) (double amount in winter) • Chuan Chong (Ligusticum) (double amount in spring) • Bai Shao (White Peony Root) (double amount in summer)
Angelica Sinensis is used to help make blood and lubricate the
body. Prepared Rehmannia is an herb that helps warm & balance the energetic Kidney. Ligusticum is used to move the blood espe- cially after a long winter, and White Peony is said to “Hold” the blood in the heart and liver and cool the body. When all these herbs are used together, it makes the most famous blood tonic in Chinese medicine and provides an affordable way to stay well on our way through life.
Laura Mignosa is a Certified Chinese Herbologist and Director of the Connecticut Institute for Herbal Studies located in New Britain, CT since 1995. Her private practice of Chinese Herbal Therapy is available at her school and her One-Year Certified Chinese Herbol- ogy Program begins every April. You may see these classes and her work at
www.CTHerbschool.com or follow her at Laura.Mignosa5 on Facebook. 860-826-2705. See ad on page 37.
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