It is August. Also called after summer. In Chinese medicine we call this period the element earth. The element earth is also active between two other elements for a few days. Those days are ‘balance days’. Earth is the basis of existence so to say.
Concepts that belong to the earth element are: moderation, balance, harmony, loyalty, service.
The colour belonging to the earth element is yellow.
The spleen is the yin organ and the stomach is the yang organ. The stomach and the spleen are also called the organs of the middle.
Envision your stomach as a cooking pot. Everything you eat and drink gets in the stomach. The spleen is the fire under the cooking pot; your digestive fire. The spleen has a transport and transformation function for all that we eat. It is not for nothing that the sense is the mouth. All that we eat is transformed by the spleen in Qi (=energy) and blood. If the energy of the spleen is not strong enough, not everything can be transformed and there will be a residue. That residu we call dampness. In Chinese medicine we say that the climate that belongs to the earth element is dampness. Dampness is like mist in the body. When there is dampness, the energy cannot flow freely. Think of heavy legs, a heavy head, batter on the tongue and you will see fatty tissue arise.
The muscles fall under the earth element.
The taste is sweet. By sweet we mean the natural sweet of f.ex. sweet potatoe or carrots. You cause dampness in your body when you put sweets in your mouth. Dampness can lead to muscle deterioration, inflammation and even cancer.
The emotion is worrying. When you worry a lot, you weaken the earth element.
We put a lot of emphasis on the earth element, because every other organ is dependent on proper functioning of the stomach and spleen. The earth element is responsible for a large part of your total amout of energy. And this energy evolves around nutrition: what you eat, what time you eat and how you eat. See, every organ has it’s own rhythm. The stomach and spleen are most active between 7-11 am. This means that this is the perfect time to eat a warm breakfast. The stomach is most active during this time, so less energy gets lost during the digestive process. The tought behind a warm breakfast is that the spleen, your digestive fire, doesn’t have to work extra hard and lose energy. We all want to feel good and vital, right?
Under the header ‘movement’ you will find an exercise that will strengthen your spleen energy. And under the header ‘herbs’ you will find a herb and a recipe that will strengthen your spleen energy as well.
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