Miss Zhang, 24 years old, experiences heat in her palms and soles during the summer, often feels thirsty, and has a flushed face and dizziness in the afternoon heat. Sister Tan, 45 years old, has similar issues, including dry mouth, dry eyes, irritability, and poor sleep, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.
Director Li Xiaoping from the Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Preventive Health Center stated after examining these two patients: “Their constitution is a typical Yin deficiency constitution. This is often caused by external invasion of dryness and heat, excessive consumption of warming and drying foods, overthinking, irregular sexual activity, or prolonged illness leading to this constitution.”
Characteristics of Yin Deficiency Constitution
Common Manifestations: Frequent feelings of heat in the body and face, inability to tolerate summer heat, dry skin, often feeling heat in the palms and soles, flushed or reddened cheeks, frequent dry eyes, dry mouth and throat, prone to insomnia, and often experiencing dry stools.
Physical Characteristics: Slim and elongated body shape.
Psychological Characteristics: Impulsive temperament, extroverted, active, and lively.
Tendency to Illness: Prone to cough, diabetes, amenorrhea, fever, etc.
Adaptability to External Environment: Generally intolerant to summer heat and dryness, can withstand winter but not summer.
How should one regulate a Yin deficiency constitution? What should be noted in terms of diet, daily routine, and emotional health? Director Li Xiaoping has the following suggestions:
General Dietary Regulation
Warming, drying, spicy, and rich foods harm Yin. For example, avoid foods like Sichuan pepper, fennel, cinnamon, five-spice powder, monosodium glutamate, chili, scallions, ginger, garlic, leeks, shrimp, lychee, longan, walnuts, cherries, apricots, lamb, dog meat, etc.
Foods that are sour and sweet can nourish Yin, while sweet and cold foods can clear heat. Suitable foods for Yin deficiency include pomegranate, grapes, goji berries (gǒuqǐ), lemons, apples, pears, citrus fruits, bananas, loquats, starfruit, mulberries, monk fruit (luóhàn guǒ), watermelon, water chestnuts, sugarcane, winter melon, loofah, bitter melon, cucumber, spinach, fresh lotus root, white fungus (yín’ěr), lily bulbs, bird’s nest, black sesame, etc. Most fruits are suitable for Yin deficiency constitution.
Those with a Yin deficiency constitution should consume high-quality animal proteins with fine meat, such as very fresh pork, rabbit meat, duck meat, black fish, turtle meat, soft-shelled turtle meat, clam meat, oyster, sea cucumber, small silver fish, abalone, and mussels.
[Medicinal Dishes]
Lotus Seed and Lily Bulb Soup with Lean Meat: Use 20g of lotus seeds (remove the core), 20g of lily bulbs, and lean pork, add an appropriate amount of water and simmer until the meat is tender, then season with salt before serving.
Huang Qi and Sheng Di Stewed Turtle Meat: 250g of turtle meat, 20g of raw Rehmannia (shēng dì huáng), 15g of astragalus (huáng qí). Cut the turtle meat into pieces, add raw Rehmannia, astragalus, scallions, ginger, and water, and stew until the meat is tender. Add salt and monosodium glutamate, then consume the meat and drink the soup.
[Medicinal Porridge]
Mai Dong and Licorice Porridge: 12g of Mai Dong (mài dōng), 9g of licorice (gān cǎo), 100g of rice. Remove the core from Mai Dong, slice the licorice, and cook with rice to make porridge.
Rock Sugar Bird’s Nest Porridge: 10g of bird’s nest, 100g of glutinous rice, 20g of rock sugar. Soak and clean the bird’s nest, then cook it with glutinous rice, adding rock sugar to dissolve before serving.
Emotional Health
With an impulsive temperament, extroverted and lively, one should arrange their work properly to avoid becoming anxious and consuming Yin fluids. It is advisable to control emotions and remain calm in the face of challenges. Engaging in activities like calligraphy, chess, or traveling can help soothe the mind and cultivate emotions. Listening to soft, gentle, and lyrical music can also prevent anger.
Daily Routine Health
Maintain a regular daily routine, ensure a quiet living environment, and avoid drinking tea or playing games before bed. Go to bed early and rise early, and maintain a certain amount of rest during the day. Avoid staying up late, intense exercise, and working in high temperatures. Regulate sexual activity and avoid smoking and drinking.
Exercise Health
Only moderate-intensity, intermittent physical exercise is suitable, such as Tai Chi, Tai Chi sword, and Qigong, which combine movement and stillness. During exercise, control sweating and replenish fluids in a timely manner. For those with very dry skin, swimming is recommended, but sauna bathing is not advisable. After middle age, avoid frequent exercises that wear down the joints, especially the knee joints, such as climbing stairs, hiking, or exercising on a treadmill.
Seasonal Health
Individuals with a Yin deficiency constitution should avoid practicing in the summer heat and winter cold, as excessive sweating can harm Yin. Those with a Yin deficiency constitution are generally intolerant to summer heat and dryness, so they should avoid sun exposure and excessive sweating in summer, and may consider consuming American ginseng (xīyángshēn), watermelon, and sour plum soup.
END
Li Xiaoping: Professor, Master’s supervisor, Director of the Preventive Health Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, member of the expert advisory group on TCM “Preventive Health” of the Hunan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Vice Chairman and Secretary of the TCM Preventive Health Professional Committee of the Hunan Provincial Health Management Association, Vice Chairman of the Sub-health Professional Committee of the Hunan Provincial TCM Association, and an expert in the Psychological Counseling Professional Skills Assessment Committee of Hunan Province. Engaged in TCM preventive health and psychological counseling for over ten years, skilled in health assessment, and adept at using medicinal formulas, medicinal dishes, and various external treatment methods for health maintenance. He has unique insights into psychological counseling in family marriage and parent-child education.
