Tag Archives: Damp

EARTH FOOD

Damp, Digestion, Earth Element, Food, Oedema, Sweet, Transitions, Worry, , , ,

Back so soon? Yes, the Earth phase follows close upon the Fire phase and is followed closely in turn by the Metal phase. Think of a round cake that is cut into four large pieces, representing the Water, Wood, Fire and Metal phases. Now take a slice off the end of each piece: these slivers represent the Earth phase which is interspersed at the points of transition. (See a previous post detailing this.) The phase that we are now transitioning in the southern hemisphere is the most evident expression of this Earth energy, the late summer. As the Nei Jing tells us:

During the season between summer and autumn, late summer, the fruits ripen and turn yellow. When they ripen they taste sweet and can nourish spleen qi. The spleen qi is then able to nourish the muscles and flesh. (Suwen 5)

Not only is the Earth Element one of transition, it is also one of centrality. The organs of Earth, Stomach and Spleen, are central to the metabolic functions of the body, namely the taking in and transforming of food into Qi.

The stomach and spleen are like warehouses where one stores all the food and essences. They digest, absorb, and extract the food and nutrients. (Su wen 8)

For this series of blogs about food, the Earth is key, for it pertains to our appetite, taste, enjoyment, appreciation, digestion and utilisation of food.

The taste of Earth is sweet

While the taste of the Earth Element is sweet, this is not the sweetness of sugar, cakes, biscuits and ice cream, all of which are damaging to the Spleen if overindulged. Rather the sweet taste is a natural one that arises from the presence of complex carbohydrates. Zoey Gong in her Five Elements Cookbook says that “Sweet flavour is nourishing, slightly Warming, harmonising, and moistening. Half of your daily diet should come from Sweet foods to help strengthen your Spleen which prevents weak digestion.”

This view is antithetical to many modern dietary models which emphasise high protein and low carbohydrate intake. However, the Chinese medicine view arises from thousands of years of dietary development and is in the context of a diet that is a balance of flavours, colours, hot and cold properties, cooking methods and seasonal influences.

Let’s look at these sweet foods. A quick glance shows that most foods are sweet in flavour, or a combination of sweet and one other flavour. As you might expect, almost all fruits are sweet. Among the leafy vegetables, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, lettuce and spinach are entirely sweet. So too are corn, green beans, mung beans, and almost all the root vegetables, especially beetroot, carrot, potato, pumpkin and sweet potato.

Looking at protein sources, all legumes are sweet, things like lentils, beans, chickpeas and peas. So too almost all nuts and grains are sweet in flavour. Among the animal proteins, most are sweet except for duck and ham. Many kinds of fish are sweet, though these are mostly a combination of sweet and salty.

So, when we are advised that half of our diet should come from sweet foods, there is no shortage of choice, but with the proviso that we include fruit, vegetables and grains.

That said, there is such a thing as too much sweet. This is particularly true of sugar-based sweetness which is ubiquitous in processed foods. Overindulgence in sweet food damages the Spleen. Specifically, it creates damp in the body where the Spleen is unable to transform and transport fluids. This can lead to retention of fluid, oedema, sluggish digestion, bloating, loose stools, fatigue, mental fogginess and an overall feeling of heaviness.

Too much sweet taste can disturb the heart qi, causing it to become restless and congested, as well as cause imbalance of kidney energy, which turns the face black. (Suwen 3)

Thinking back to my metaphor of dividing the cake, perhaps I should have chosen a round fruit, say a melon. While yummy cake may be good for the soul, too much yummy cake is definitely not good for our Earth Element.

The colour of Earth is yellow

The Earth Element and its organs of Stomach and Spleen can be further enhanced by paying attention to the colour of food. Include some yellow or orange food with each meal, even if the taste is not sweet. Yellow foods include banana, lemon, pineapple, orange, mandarin, yellow peppers, rockmelon (cantaloupe), mango, nectarine, peach, papaya and passionfruit. Among the vegetables: carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, yellow pepper and sweet corn. Other yellow foods include turmeric, saffron, mustard, millet and sesame seeds.

Cooking methods

Earth thrives on warm, simply cooked foods which are easily digested and support the process of transformation. Gently steamed porridges of rice or millet are beneficial. Steamed or slow-cooked foods are more easily digested. Stir frying or gentle roasting methods are good as well as light soups and stews. Avoid deep fried foods which challenge the Spleen. Raw foods and cold foods should also be eschewed in this season as they weaken the Spleen and impair digestion.

Don’t Worry, Eat Happy

It is certainly important to eat a healthy diet and pay attention to our food intake, but what should be avoided is an obsession about what we are eating. Worry, obsessiveness and over-thinking is damaging to the Spleen. So while you may be technically eating right, if your every thought is on what is going into your mouth, it may be time to reassess. My auntie Eileen ate sweet food to excess all of her life. When she was 40 her doctor told her if she didn’t change her diet she’d be dead in five years. Well, she didn’t really care, she didn’t worry, she let life slide over her and she lived to be 84, long outliving her doctor. Now, I’m not advising anyone to emulate my aunt’s diet, just making the point not to be too obsessive.

The qualities of the Earth Element include connection, sharing, giving and receiving. There is no better way to enjoy food than in the company of good friends in a relaxed atmosphere that is kind and supportive. Many people find that cooking is a vehicle for this sharing. Indeed, the kitchen is the Earthiest room in the house. Consider that not only is the food itself important, but also the ambience in which it is consumed. Not just what we eat, but how we eat.

Enough rumination for now. See you in the Autumn for the final blog in this series about foods of the Metal Element

DAMPNESS

Damp, Digestion, Earth Element, Humidity, Oedema, Reproductive, Urination, , , ,

Wet, moist, dripping, sticky, sodden, muggy, close, clammy. These words convey the feeling in the human body of humidity or dampness. This is the climate that resonates with late summer and the Earth Element.

As with the other external climatic factors we’ve looked at so far (cold, wind and heat), dampness can become pathogenic when it invades the body.

Sticky humidity is usually linked in our minds with tropical climates where the humidity is accompanied by heat, creating that sagging, sinking heaviness that makes it hard to move. We perspire, but the sweat doesn’t evaporate in the air which is already full to dripping with moisture. We feel sticky all over; armpits and other creases feel like swamps.

But damp can also be present in cold climates where persistent precipitation drives up the moisture content of the air. I spent my early childhood in the north of England, in Manchester which lies at the foot of the Pennines and where the rain driving in from Ireland is trapped by the hills, and hangs over the city as low, grey cloud and an incessant drizzle. In such climates, clothing never feels dry, bedsheets are perennially damp. There is even damp in the walls of houses, known as “rising damp”.

Living in humid climates, both hot and cold, can lead to invasion of damp into the body. So too can sitting on damp ground or in wet clothes, living in a house that is close to a stream, or working in a damp environment.

As above, so below: people who have dampness within their body are more likely to complain about and be susceptible to dampness outside. This suggests a weakness in the Earth Element and its associated organ/channels of Stomach and Spleen.

As we’ve seen previously, climatic factors injure their corresponding yin organs. Cold injures the Kidney, wind injures the Liver and heat injures the Heart. Similarly, damp invades and injures the Spleen.

One of the many functions of the Spleen is the efficient transportation of fluids throughout the body. When Spleen is weak, fluids accumulate, often in the lower body, producing oedema and a feeling of heaviness and lethargy. Spleen, together with Stomach, is also responsible for transforming food into Qi and circulating that Qi to all the organs. When this transformation process is compromised, Qi is deficient and fatigue and lethargy result.

Certain foods are known to make this transformation process difficult. Sugary foods such as cakes, biscuits and ice cream slow down the Spleen. So too do dairy products and highly refined grains. Greasy, fried food is also hard for Spleen to metabolise. Another challenge to Spleen is cold food or drinks. And all alcohol. All of these foods are said to generate damp within the body.

So, damp shmamp, who cares? Well, consider this: internal damp can travel up the yin meridians of the leg to affect the organs of the abdomen. It can affect the reproductive organs, producing painful periods, vaginal discharges, genital swelling and itching; it can affect the intestines, causing bloating and loose stools; and when damp affects the bladder, it can create difficult, frequent or burning urination and cloudy urine. Other symptoms can include arthritis and swelling of the joints, poor appetite, fullness in the chest or epigastrium, feelings of tiredness and heaviness, fogginess in the head with difficulty thinking, and a sticky white or yellow coating on the tongue.

A full exploration of the many Damp conditions is beyond the scope of this article. But it must be noted that a diagnosis of damp is very common, especially in western countries or other places that have adopted the western diet. Damp can affect Stomach, Spleen, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Bladder, Kidneys, Gall Bladder, Liver, uterus and the skin. Conditions can derive from external damp invading the body, or internal damp caused by a deficiency in the Spleen.

Points to clear damp

Points to clear damp are many and varied, depending on the organ/channel that is affected. As we are focusing here on external damp invading the Spleen, I’ll focus on these Earth points.

Spleen 3, source point of Spleen, directly balances the organ and influences its functions. Located at the ball of the big toe.

Spleen 6, Three Yin Crossing, treats damp in the Spleen, Liver and Kidneys. (Forbidden during pregnancy.) Located 3 cun (4 fingers width) above the tip of the inner ankle bone and close to the back of the tibia.

Spleen 9, Water point of the Spleen is perhaps the most well-known point for clearing damp. Located in a depression below the inside of the knee at the medial condyle of the tibia.

Stomach 36, our old friend with many functions, clears damp from Stomach and Spleen. Located 3 cun down from the outside of the knee and 1 finger lateral to the tibia.

Location of Spleen 3, 6 & 9