Living in Harmony with Spring According to Chinese Medicine

By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP

Chinese Medicine Theory

Chinese Medicine has such a beautiful way of looking at us, human beings, our place in nature and in the universe. We are part of a greater whole and are inseparable from it. In Chinese Medicine, we are healthy when we are in harmony with our surroundings, and for much of human history we have honed the skills to feel subtle changes in our environments so we can adjust our behaviours to remain in balance. In our modern world, we seem to be losing this connectedness to both our natural environments and ultimately, ourselves. Chinese Medicine can teach us how to regain this connection by offering simple guidelines for living in harmony with the seasons.

Spring – The Season of the Liver

Spring is the season associated with the Liver and the emotion of Anger. Its energies are expansive – moving upward and outward like newly budding plants, flowers, and trees. It is a time for growth and renewal. Spring is the best time to strengthen the Liver, and to deal with any unresolved feelings of Anger or frustration, as they can build up and cause stagnant Qi or energy in the Liver and elsewhere. The colour associated with Spring and the Liver is green. Eating green foods in the Spring strengthens the Liver. To keep your Liver healthy, be sure to be in bed and asleep before 11pm.

The Liver is the organ associated with Spring. In Chinese Medicine, the Liver has the following responsibilities:

• Opens Into the Eyes
• Controls Planning
• The Flavour that Supports the Liver is Sour
• Houses the Hun (Spirit). The Liver is the organ associated with Spring.
• Stores Blood
• Responsible for the Smooth Flow of Qi & Blood
• Controls the Sinews / Tendons
• Manifests in the Nails

Behaviours in Spring

• Engaging in uplifting and creative activities that expand our energies and consciousness (journaling, meditation)
• Seek personal development and growth
• Cooking should be of shorter duration and at higher temperatures
• Sautéing with high-quality oil over high heat, or light steaming with water, is best in Spring
• Manage Anger (and frustration) – excess, intense, and unexpressed anger congests Qi in the Liver
• Liver time is between 1am and 3 am – this is the best time to strengthen the Liver
• For optimum Liver health, go to bed before 11 pm (the Gallbladder time – it is the Liver’s Yin/Yang partner organ)
• Eat green foods to strengthen the liver

Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash

Activities in Spring

• Engage in activities that feed your creativity – drawing/painting/writing/photography/making music/dancing
• Making plans for the future
• Spring cleaning of your internal environment – physical, emotional, spiritual
• Acknowledging, processing, and releasing any unresolved emotions, especially Anger & frustration
• Any activities that push our self-imposed boundaries
• Gentle exercises on a daily basis, especially stretching, as the Liver controls the smooth flow of Qi, as well as the tendons
• Walking meditation in nature (gentle exercise, feeding the spirit, and taking in the green of new Spring plants through the eyes)
• Avoid stimulants like caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs

Beneficial Foods in Spring

• Lemon
• Lime
• Grapefruit
• Sprouted Grains, Beans, Seeds
• Many Green Foods Nourish the Liver
• Radish
• Daikon Radish
• Tofu
• Fermented Food
• Legumes
• Seeds
• Dandelion Root
• Milk Thistle
• Mung Bean
• Lettuce
• Quinoa
• Cucumber
• Watercress
• Celery
• Millet
• Seaweed
• Mushroom
• Beet
• Carrot
• Onion
• Mustard Green
• Rye
• Romaine Lettuce
• Asparagus
• Alfalfa
• Amaranth

Image by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash

The Liver and Anger

We’ve all seen that impressive display of anger. Someone losing it in the bank lineup, an exasperated parent yelling at a child having a tantrum, or someone, after being on a plane for a bazillion hours, being told they have missed their connecting flight and that the airline has lost their luggage. Yeah, we’ve all seen that. And it is most of our instincts to back away a few steps because of how powerful that anger can be. That, my friends, is your Liver talking.

Now in the West, this doesn’t make much sense. The liver, we are taught, is the body’s filter, keeping us clean and toxin-free. But in Chinese Medicine, each organ has an emotional component, which is just as important as its physical functions, and the liver’s emotion is anger.

When the liver is balanced and healthy, we are able to move freely because it governs the smooth flow of Qi in the appropriate directions. You may wonder what happens when Qi flows in the wrong direction. Well, each organ has a natural direction in which its Qi flows. For example, the Qi of the stomach flows downward, helping to move food and drink through the digestive system, but when the flow of that Qi is reversed by pathogenic factors, it can cause belching, hiccups, nausea, and vomiting. A healthy liver supports a strong immune system because it plays a role in the body’s resistance to external pathogens. Because the liver opens into the eyes, if you have a healthy liver, your vision will be clear and your eyes moist. If your liver is in a state of balance, you will have strong nails, recover quickly from physical activities, your movements will be smooth, and your body will be flexible. Those with a healthy liver will also have great courage and resoluteness, and will easily be able to plan their lives wisely and effectively with a clear sense of direction.

Image by Alexander Kritiviskiy on Pexels

Some Symptoms of Liver Stagnation & Imbalance

• Frustration, depression, or repressed anger
• Hypochondriac pain
• A sensation of oppression in the chest
• A feeling of a “lump” in the throat
• Abdominal distension
• Women – pre-menstrual tension, depression, irritability, distension of the breasts
• Belching, sour regurgitation, nausea, vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Bitter taste in the mouth, belching, jaundice
• Contraction and/or spasms in the muscles and sinews, impaired extension/flexion, numbness of the limbs, muscle cramps, and tremors
• Dark, dry, or cracked nails
• Blurred vision, myopia, floaters, colour blindness, a feeling of dryness or grit in the eyes
• Bloodshot, painful, or burning sensation in the eyes
• Irritability, outbursts of anger, red face, dizziness, tinnitus, headaches
• Lack of direction in life, feeling of being stuck

Chinese Medicine offers many ways to help our bodies, minds, and spirits stay balanced and healthy – in every season. Eating green foods, spending more time turning inward, processing our emotions, and being in bed by 11 pm are only some of the ways we can live in harmony with the spring season, and keep our energies flowing freely so we can be happy, healthy beings all year long.

---

Beautiful featured image photo by Ash Amplifies on Unsplash

---

Want to learn more? Download Our Sheets–Living With The Seasons in Chinese Medicine.

 

---

Are You A Practitioner?

Please visit the Chinese Medicine Professionals Shop to download PRO sheets for your clinic to share with patients. Yay!