Dietary Recommendations for the Vernal Equinox
Your diet for the Vernal equinox should mimic the balance that is present in nature at this time. In general, the continued use of mildly acrid foods such as ginger and scallions help ensures normal coursing of Liver qi.
It is best to avoid very greasy or cloying warm foods (such as an over consumption of very fatty meats), or very salty meals. While salty and more greasy is ok in the cold of Winter, right now in Spring you need to be concerned with the normal and smooth movement of Qi and Blood in the body.
The basic combination then is warming and acrid, such as the aforementioned ginger.
A simple tea most patients can consume during this time is rosebud tea. This tea is made by steeping Mei Gui Hua ??? in hot water. Mei Gui Hua is warm and sweet and is found in the Qi regulating chapter of the Materia Medica. It courses Liver as well as gently quickens the blood.
It is especially useful for femals who have menstrual irregularities due to Liver stagnation.
In the Baijiquan ??? system of Chinese marital arts, Mei Gui Hua tea is used as a general Qi and Blood moving tea for injury.
One traditional dish for Vernal Equinox is Stir Fried Pig Kidney with Eucommia (????). Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Organic pig kidney ¾ to 1 lb
- Eucommia bark (Du Zhong ??) 6-9g
- 1 scallion, 1 piece of ginger (about the size of your thumb or a little larger), 1-2 cloves of garlic
- Cooking oil, salt, soy sauce
Instructions:
- Cook Du Zhong in about 1 cup of water by bringing to a boil and then simmering until only about ½ cup of liquid is left
- Cut kidneys into thin slices and then score one side of each slice; peel and slice the ginger, slice the garlic, and slice the scallion
- In a pan, add a small amount of cooling oil, and start by cooking the garlic and ginger just until fragrant and / or the garlic is transparent. Add in the kidney slices and cook for several minutes. Then add a small amount of salt and soy sauce.
- Add in the Du Zhong liquid, and cook down in the pan with the kidney. Add scallions. Cook until kidneys are thoroughly cooked through.
- Optionally can add Gou Qi Zi (i.e., Goji berries) at end as well before liquid has cooked down, cooking until slightly plump.
This recipe supplements the Kidney, boosts essence, and nourishes the Liver blood. It is good for lower back pain, knee pain, declining visual acuity, or other symptoms of Liver and Kidney vacuity. Because it is warming it is especially useful this year!
Citation: Dr. Henry McCann