Lecture 9: Wood Element Flashcards
What are the characteristics and associations of Spring?
- Small Yang beginning
- Growth, movement, expansion
- Spring has an ascending and active nature eg. new plant life pushing up.
- Associated with the wood element and colour green.
- Spring is a new beginning – the time of year to “rise early with the sun” and take “brisk walks” and other yang activities
Why does appetite decrease in spring?
The sight of the green colour of tender young plants nourishes the soul through the eyes, so the appetite for food decreases and the body naturally cleanses itself, not only of food residues, but of excessive desire and the accompanying emotions of dissatisfaction, impatience, and anger as well. The metaphorical membrane over the eyes and mind disappears, and vision becomes clearer. Things are seen in new ways.
What organs do we particularly want to support with food in the spring? What vital substance do we pay most attention to?
- Liver and Spleen
- Qi - Need to supplement qi, allow it to course freely
What are examples of foods from the wood phase? Eg. colour, thermal nature, examples
- Green in colour
- Neutral, cool, or warm energy
- Green tea, spinach, celery, a little more raw foods and sprouts.
What should the predominant energy of food be in Spring? Flavours?
Mildy warming foods with upbearing movement: fennel, rice, buckwheat
The expansive, rising quality of sweet and pungent flavours.
Acrid/pungent flavours (garlic, paprika, ginger) in case of accumulated dampness left over from the colder months.
Sour flavours, because they stabilize liver yin and can regulate upbearing liver yang.
What is the predominant weather effect in Spring and how can it be treated?
Wind is often the dominating weather effect during spring and causes recurring external wind disorders (colds, flu), which can be balanced with the mildly acrid flavours of green onions and ginger.
What foods should be avoided in Spring?
- Energetically hot and fatty foods, as they block liver qi
- Too many heavy foods clog the liver, resulting in spring fits and fevers. (agitation and muscle spasms in the spring)
- Excess sour flavours.
- Salty foods such as soy sauce, miso, and sodium rich meats all have a strong component of sinking energy and are best limited during springtime. Energy of salt moves downward so want to avoid this.
Spring diet should be the lightest of the year and contain foods which emphasize the yang, ascending, expansive qualities. Give some examples.
Young plants, fresh greens, sprouts, cereal grasses
Give some examples of sweet and pungent foods that would be appropriate in Spring.
- Concentrated sweetener with pungent herbs – e.g. honey/mint tea
- Pungent cooking herbs – basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill, bay leaf
- Complex carbohydrates – grains, legumes, seeds
How should cooking time/temp be adjusted in Spring?
Food is best cooked for a shorter time but at higher temperatures (in this way the food is not as thoroughly cooked, especially the inner part)
If using oil what method is appropriate?
If using water?
If oil is used: a quick high-temperature saute method is appropriate
When cooking with water: light steaming or minimal simmering is ideal
What are the main symptoms of “sediment in the GB” or gallstones?
- Indigestion, esp. after eating high fat foods
- Flatulence
- Periodic pain between shoulder blades near the neck
- Right sided hypochondriac pain
- Bitter taste in mouth
- Chest pain
How dose one do a gradual gallbladder cleanse?
- Avoid saturated fats and cholesterol from meat, dairy and eggs
- Avoid peanuts and eat other nuts and seeds sparingly
- Eat pears, parsnips, seaweed, lemons, limes, turmeric
- For 21 days eat one or two radishes a day between meals
- Drink three cups of cleavers or 5 cups chamomile tea each day
- Pour five tsp of flax oil over food at one meal of the day (6 days per week for 2 months)
How does one do a gallbladder flush?
- Eat only apples for one day, especially green apples, at least four or five
- May drink water, tea or apple juice
- At bed time warm up 2/3 cup of olive oil and mix in 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- Sip entire mixture then go to bed and sleep on right side with right leg drawn up
Why are dietary strategies to relieve a stagnant, swollen liver so essential?
Nearly all liver imbalances, including liver related heat, blood and yin deficiencies, and wind, originate with stagnancy.
What are the main techniques to treat a stagnant liver?
- Eat less
- Eliminate or greatly reduce foods high in saturated fats, hydrogenated and poor quality fats, excess of nuts and seeds
- Avoid highly processed or refined foods
- Avoid intoxicants
- Rejuvanate with chlorophyll, omega 3’s and micro algae
What general food categories are good for liver qi stagnation?
- Moderately pungent foods and some mildly pungent ones
- Brassica genus foods
- Raw foods
Moderately pungent foods that help with liver qi stagnation
- Watercress
- All members of the onion (Allium) family
- Mustard greens
- Turmeric
- Ginger
What are non-pungent or mildly pungent foods that help with liver qi stagnation?
- Beets
- Taro root
- Sweet rice
- Amasake - Japanese dessert from fermented rice
Examples of Brassica genus vegetables that are good for liver qi stagnation
Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Turnip
What are examples of raw foods that can help with liver qi stagnation?
- Sprouted grains and beans
- Fresh vegetables and fruits (especially strawberry, peach, cherry)
- Nuts (pine nut, chestnut)
What is a caution with pungent food?
Extreme pungent food in excess (hot peppers) can damage those with liver stagnation
Foods that harmonize the liver are usually ______ in nature. General examples?
Sweet
- Grains, vegetables, legumes and other complex carbohydrates
- Sweeteners
- Honey (with ACV especially)
What are some useful sweeteners for harmonizing the liver?
Stevia powder, unrefined cane juice granules, whole sugar cane, licorice root, barley malt, date sugar, molasses and rice syrup (not to be used in cases of heat or heat generated wind conditions)
______ and ______ foods reduce excesses of the liver.
Bitter; Sour
What are examples of bitter foods to reduce excesses of the liver?
Amaranth, Asparagus, Romaine Lettuce, Rye, Quinoa
What are examples of sour foods to reduce excesses of the liver? (Hint: these are all in one class of food)
Uunrefined apple cider, brown rice, rice wine, or other quality vinegars for liver stagnation with accompanying depression.
What is the best way to consume vinegar for clearing liver excess? Substitution for those with heat signs?
Mix one teaspoon vinegar with one teaspoon honey per cup of water.
Substitute with lemon, lime or grapefruit for those with heat signs
What are some food for detoxing and cooling the liver?
- Celery
- Chlorophyll rich foods
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Mung beans and their sprouts
- Mushroom
- Plum
- Radish, Daikon radish
- Rhubarb root/stem
- Seaweeds (kelp)
- Watercress
What are some of the best foods for nourishing liver yin and building liver blood?
- The already mentioned detoxifying and cooling liver foods
- Fresh cold pressed flax oil and extracted oils of borage, evening primrose, or black currant seeds
- Spirulina and other chlorophyll rich foods
- Dark grapes, blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, goji berries
- Blackstrap molasses
What are foods and spices that reduce liver wind symptoms?
Anise
Basil
Black soybean
Black sesame seed
Celery
Coconut
Fennel
Flax seed oil
Ginger (dry or fresh)
Oats
Pine nuts
Sage
Shrimp
What are foods the especially worsen wind conditions?
- Buckwheat
- Crab meat
- Eggs
What are foods that accelerate liver rejuvenation? Why?
Chlorophyll rich foods and micro-algae
The liberal use of spirulina and other chlorophyll-rich foods supplies the liver with essential fatty acids, especially Omega 3 and GLA (gamma-linoleic acid)
What are some noteworthy folk remedies for the liver?
- Asparagus
- Carrot
- Grapefruit
- Lemon
- Watercress
Asparagus uses
Freshly cooked, may be used in cases of liver congestion and conditions such as hepatitis to encourage healing
Carrot uses
- Fresh raw carrot juice.
- Can use daily to energize and cleanse the body
- Help to relieve the effects of stress and fatigue
- Boost the body after illness
Grapefruit uses
- Detoxifies the liver
- Can ease chronic liver conditions
- May help to reduce severity of a hangover
Lemon uses
Drinking lemon juice mixed with olive oil may help to dissolve gallstones
Watercress uses
Recommended for gallbladder complaints and anemia
Single use herbs for liver symptoms
- Angelica root (Dang gui)
- Angus castus berries
- Dandelion root
- Feverfew
- Milk thistle seed
- Rosemary leaves
- Skullcap
- Witch hazel bark and leaves
Angelica root (dang gui)
- Menstrual cramps and pain
- Anemia
- General debility in women
Angus castus berries
- PMS with irritability
- Breast pain
- Menopausal symptoms especially with mood swings
- Helps restore a regular menstrual cycle when coming off the contraceptive pill
Dandelion root
For all types of liver and gallbladder problems
Feverfew
Combined with valerian for migraines linked with tension and anxiety
Milk thistle seed
Strengthens and clears liver and gallbladder
Rosemary leaves
- Poor digestion
- Gallbladder inflammation
- Gallstones
- General feeling of “liverishness???” maybe feverishness?
Skullcap (Scutelleria baicellensis, in the mint family)
- Anxiety
- Tension headaches
- PMS
- Post exam depression!
Interest: Scutelleria lateriflora used in Native American medicine to treat gynecological conditions
Witch Hazel bark and leaves
As a compress and wash for hot, tired eyes
