Utilizing Chinese Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture For The Winter Solstice
According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, the winter solstice marks the height of the taiyin seasonal node of “Major Snow”. During this time, yin energies of cold and darkness are most prominent and water freezes, turning to ice. While yin energy is most abundant, yang energies such as sunlight and heat are are greatly diminished. In nature animals hibernate or spend more time in their dens to save energy and warmth. Trees shed their leaves, storing energy in their roots deep below the ground until the warmer weather of spring returns and it is safe to blossom once again. In other words, in December at the height of winter, yang is in storage and yin flourishes.
In Classical Chinese Medicine, the taiyin organs are Spleen & Lung. From an internal health perspective, during winter solstice acupuncture and Herbal medicine treatments emphasize warming and supporting these organs to ensure optimal immunity, circulation, and internal organ function (read: prevent our bodies from overly cooling off or “freezing”, leading to diminished bodily function or worse). Supporting the storage of yang energy (heat) is akin to the squirrel who stashes acorns for winter. We want to increase and store our internal energy reserves as much as possible to support the return of yang and new growth in spring. Winter is about storing with minimal expenditure of resources. While winter in Los Angeles may generally be much milder than many parts of the U.S., the health supporting principles of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine during this season are the same.
For winter solstice, seasonally appropriate herbal formulas focus on warming and drying the Spleen & Lung by storing body heat in the blood layer and reducing accumulation of water. As our body heat (aka “life force”) is most vulnerable to being frittered away during winter season, the herbal formula archetypes for winter typically revolve around Sini Tang and its variations (Sini Jia Renshen Tang, Fuling Sini Tang, Danggui Sini Tang, etc) to warm and dry taiyin.
All this being said, Classical Chinese Medicine greatly emphasizes the adage “treat the patient, not the disease”. In other words, while we may speak in generalities, in practice such treatments are hardly a one size fits all type of approach. If you would like to further explore utilizing Chinese herbal medicine to support you optimal health during winter, please free to call or email to arrange a time for your very own custom herbal formula consultation. Wishing you an abundance of health and goodwill during this holiday season and beyond!
In Health,
Joe Recsnik L.Ac, DCCM
Licensed Chinese herbalist, acupuncturist, lead herbal pharmacist,
& Founder of POPULUSS Classical Eastern Healing
Proudly serving the nearby communities of Venice, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Palms, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Culver City, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester. LAX and Greater Los Angeles