Spring Equinox 2024 Climate & Health Seasonal News
Welcome to the Spring Equinox, the season of sun has begun! Days are now longer than night and getting ever brighter. Below is a collection of general wellness advice for the spring season, with specific health reccomendations for this year, and an easy recipe to make herbal medicine in your own backyard. Plus sunlight - lots and lots of sunlight. In fact, in the Chinese agricultural calendar, this period of the year has Sunlight as the dominant climate force.
What does that mean? There are a few ways to look at sunlight’s effect on climate: for one, the spring equinox is the time of year when days are getting longer at the fastest rate. Did you know at the winter solstice the lengthening of days starts out slow, and as we approach the spring equinox the length of days increases faster and faster, before slowing down again by summer solstice? So the spring—or vernal—equinox is not only the time when the amount of daylight finally surpasses night, but also the time when light is growing most quickly of the entire year.
The climate period of early spring, through mid-March, relates to what is termed Wind. Wind energy works to break up soil and move weather systems around to shake things up, allowing sprouts to pop up and buds to open on trees. The increasing Sunlight associated with the spring equinox arrives just in time for the freshly unfurled leaves to soak up the sun, creating energy through photosynthesis to produce flowers and, later, fruit. This increase of sunshine right as leaves open is what creates the burst of spring color and life around the equinox, and it’s why this period is considered in the Gregorian calendar to be the start of spring.
Speaking of the sunshine, it is important to note that “Sunlight” as a climate is differentiated from “Heat,” which of course is the climate of summer, beginning around June. To understand the significance of this difference between “sunlight” and “heat,” recall the feeling of standing in a patch of sunlight on a chilly spring day. Can you feel it - the way your skin soaks up the bright sunlight, the feeling of being warmed from the inside out? This is the important nature of Sunlight as opposed to Heat. Whereas heat is expansive and superficial, direct sunlight contains penetrating infrared radiation, just like an infrared sauna: it warms us up from inside and promotes circulation in deep blood vessels. This is different from the ultraviolet/UV radiation that can cause sunburns and becomes more intense in the summer. Spring is a time when UV radiation is relatively low but infrared radiation from the sun is still strong, which helps to increase our peripheral circulation coming out of the cold winter months. Because of this, it is a great time for sunbathing to get all the positive benefits of sunlight while avoiding the more harmful UV rays.
In climate, ecology, and human health, the increase of sunlight at the vernal equinox has the powerful effect of opening and circulating, which is the healthy gesture of Spring. In order to harness this gesture to promote health and live our best life all throughout the year, the key organ to focus on right now is the Liver.
Spring Equinox Health Guidelines
Nourishing the Liver
In the Chinese agricultural calendar, the Vernal Equinox 春分 “Chun Fen” extends over a two-week period beginning on Tuesday March 20 and running through Wednesday April 4, 2024. This is a period of harmony, with the equal length of day and night on the equinox symbolizing a moment in time when things are balanced and working in concert to achieve growth and transformation. It is also the time of year to care for our Liver, the organ associated with spring.
The liver plays two important roles in the body simultaneously. The Liver is responsible for producing bile to digest fats and assist in the digestion of protein, and also it serves as one of the primary pathways of detoxification in the body. When we consume alcohol, greasy foods, or are exposed to chemicals and other toxins, strain is put on the liver to work harder. Over time, this strain can lead to liver damage due to a backlog of built-up toxins. This problem then compounds further because, as the Liver is weakened, it is less able to produce bile to digest fat, and also less capable of scrubbing toxins from our blood. So damage to the liver creates a snowball effect of toxins piling up in our body - but the good news is that the Spring Equinox is an ideal time to clean out our liver and strengthen its function for the coming year!
As fresh produce pops up in the spring, it’s a great time to tailor our diet away from heavier foods that keep us warm in the winter but put a strain on our liver. Leafy greens contain antioxidants, fiber and chlorophyll, all of which support the liver’s ability to detoxify our blood. Not only that, but the same burst of sunlight that brings this bounty of greens can help our liver too: exposure to sunlight increases liver function, through the synthesis of vitamin D, which in turn promotes healthy liver function. So a simple shift toward both getting outside more and eating fresh greens in the spring can support our liver in both of its main functions: digestion and the detoxification of blood - right at the time that our body is circulating more to the surface, and healthy blood circulation becomes all the more important.
Fat isn’t our enemy though! It’s worth noting that Omega-3 Fatty Acids can actually help decrease liver inflammation and therefore help overall liver function. At this time of year, eating a balanced diet of fresh greens and fish such as cod or salmon is a great way to support the liver. In East Asian Medicine, the Liver governs the sinews of the body, whose health can be assessed in the luster of our nails. Have you noticed your nails getting dry and brittle in the sudden heat and dryness of the spring?
Easy-to-metabolize Omega-3 fats found in fish, nuts, chia & flax seeds can help to keep our tendons and, by extension, our nails healthy and lustrous. The effect is more than just aesthetic: supple tendons help prevent injuries to our ligaments and joints!
Fun fact:
Historically, this was a time of year in the Chinese calendar when purging by vomiting, which is to say releasing old bile to give our body a clean slate, was employed as a health practice . This is definitely not advised for most patients currently, but it paints a picture of the importance of liver detoxification and cleaning out the bile ducts during the season of the Spring Equinox. All of the above brings us to how this year is unique, and what we can do to sync up with the rhythms of nature at this particular equinox.
Spring Health for 2024, year of the Wood Dragon
The classical Chinese climate health system Wuyun Liuqi describes the Vernal Equinox of this year as having a propensity for increasing dryness - both environmentally and in terms of health pathology. The week of the Spring Equinox here in the Willamette Valley we saw temperatures soar to record highs of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, which in turn caused humidity levels to plunge from the 70% range down to the 20’s—for comparison, that’s as dry as it was in Phoenix, Arizona!
So this burst of spring sunlight we’ve been seeing has a twofold effect - causing an explosion of blossoms, and drying things out at the same time… Can you guess what happens when you combine dry nasal passages with a cloud of pollen in the air? That’s right: an explosion of seasonal allergies and nasal/sinus congestion!
To help get through a dry, pollen-filled spring and early summer, it’s important to keep our sinus passages from drying out, clear any stuffiness and congestion and keep our histamine response from going into overdrive. Luckily, arriving just in time is a spring delicacy that is delicious, beautiful, and helps with all of the above:
🌸 Magnolia Blossoms 🌸
The full flush of spring is apparent all around us here in the Pacific Northwest, with magnolias, cherry and plum blossoms exploding into bloom over the past week. These flowering trees are unique, because they flower before leaves form. As mentioned above, it is typical for plants to sprout spring leaves to soak in the sunlight. This gives plants the energy needed to produce flowers. So-called “Precocious Bloomer” flowers like these, though, actually store energy over the winter to produce flowers in the early spring. They bring with them the first wave of tree pollen for the year, but also produce the perfect herbal remedy for pollen allergies - in the form of Magnolia Blossoms.
Magnolia buds, in Chinese herbalism called 辛夷花 Xinyihua - have an affinity for the nose and eyes, and are characterized as warming and tonifying the functions of the Liver and the Lungs. In the 16th century Chinese herbal encyclopedia Bencao Gangmu, Magnolia Buds are described as treating runny nose and clearing sinus congestion. Modern research has demonstrated magnolia buds are effective in treating allergic rhinitis (runny nose), nasal itching, sneezing and congestion.
Even better, magnolia blossoms are delicious! Their flavors range from floral rosemary to bright ginger notes depending on the variety. Pink varietals such as Lilliputian and Gracilis are especially delectable, and, when prepared, taste a whole lot like sushi ginger! How can you get Magnolia blossoms in your diet? Follow the link below to see our recipe for pickled magnolia buds and blossoms:
Seasonal Recipe: Magnolia Pickles!
Extra Credit:
The name ‘Xinyihua’ means “acrid flower of the East”, and magnolia flowers are also known as “builders of wood” and “guides of Acrid”. What’s this mean? Well, all of these associations - East, Wood, Acrid - symbolically describe the movement of Liver qi in the body, which is responsible for circulating blood and qi throughout the entire system. When flowing smoothly, the Liver, assisted by the acrid flavor, brings down inflammatory responses in the head, especially around the eyes.
Here is what Chinese medical classics have to say about Magnolia bud Xinyihua:
Shennong Bencao Jing (~200BC):
Xinyihua is acrid and warm andreats the five Zang organs of the body, alternating chills and fever, and wind causing neck and head pain with an ashen face. Consumed over a long period, it brightens the eyes and lengthens life to withstand the tides of time.
Bencao Gangmu (1560’s):
Xinyihua targets the nose and sinus passages, treats runny nose, stuffy nose, and ulcers and sores in the nose. It is acrid and warm, and its qi enters the Lung, assisting the “Taiyin” network of Lung and Spleen in lifting clear yang in the body - therefore it can warm the center. It is used to treat diseases of the head, face, eyes and nose.
