Grain Buds

Welcome to the 16th episode of 24 Solar Terms & Health!

Today is Grain Buds, a time when crops like grains are about to ripen, signaling the onset of early summer. Growth, abundance, balance, and contentment are the themes of this season and reminders to appreciate small progress and stay grounded as we move toward bigger harvests.

Health tips from our Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician:

Guard Against Damp-Heat: As summer humidity intensifies, increased rainfall combined with rising temperatures creates “damp-heat” conditions in the body, inducing skin issues and digestive disorders. To counteract this, incorporate herbal infusions of lotus leaf, coix seed, tuckahoe, mung bean, and adzuki bean into your diet.

Herbal Sachets for Protection: TCM believes that aromatic substances can dispel impurities. Wearing a sachet filled with ingredients like mugwort, calamus root, patchouli, mint, and perilla leaves can help neutralize stagnant energy, ward off insects, and bolster immunity during the humid season.

Consume Bitter Foods: The saying “Consume three bitters during Grain Buds, and summer's woes shall harm none” highlights the seasonal importance of wild chicory, endive, and bitter melon. In TCM theory, bitter flavors resonate with the Heart organ system, offering cooling properties to calm “heart fire”—a condition of irritability, restlessness, or inflammation exacerbated by summer heat.