2/3 ~ 2/17 Beginning of Spring (立春 Li Chun）

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**中文版在英文部分的後面哦！**

   Welcome to our brand new blog platform! Thank you everyone for following us and supporting us through the last year. This year, we have decided to officially launch a brand new platform in order for us to continue to share our passion of natural health with everyone.


     Three days into February and we are at the start of the first solar term of Spring -- Li Chun! Though it’s still cold (and maybe even still raining or snowing) in many areas and the temperature is still low, buds are sprouting out, the earth is ready to welcome Spring. Yang energy is beginning to rise and the body is being awakened from dormant. 

    As we welcome the arrival of Spring, we will also be celebrating Lunar New Year (2/12/2021), a very important holiday celebrated across the Asian families. On the day before, family members gather together to have dinner together and stay up past 12am to remember the past year and welcome the new. For the young ones, the best part is receiving red envelopes from the elders, it represents the elders giving the young generation good luck and blessings. 

*We will discuss more about the Lunar New Year and a special announcement at the end. ^^



How to Maintain -- Awaken the Brain

    All six of the Yang Meridians run along the scalp. Also, there’s a key acupressure point where all the Yang Meridian crosses -- Baihui (Du20: hundred meetings. located at the midpoint of the line draw across from one tip of the ear to the other). 

    Comb hair allows us to massage our whole scalp, which can activate the meridians on the scalp, disperse any stagnation, allow the rising of Qi and Blood, relieve migraine headaches, promote scalp metabolism, and prevent tinnitus. While in the shower washing your hair, it’s a good time to massage your scalp as well. 



Diet

    Spring is the season of the Liver and Gallbladder, and focuses on the rise of energy. It’s suitable to eat foods that have a spicy and warm property, for example, green onions, onions, leek, chives, parsley, cilantro, celery, and bamboo. These types of foods can help the Yang energy rise inside the body. The color that correlates with Liver is green, therefore eating green colored foods can directly nourish the Liver. Sour flavored foods have the same ability to nourish the Liver. 

    As for herbal teas, there are a few recommendations:

  • goji+ chrysanthemum
  • hawthorn berry + jujube
  • mulberry tea
  • Heal-all + chrysanthemum is good for calming Liver fire. 
    *It is best to put little or no sugar into the herbal teas for better effects. 

    Recommend to avoid foods that are overly spicy, greasy, and salty. 


**Simple Cooking - Yam Rice Cake**

Ingredients:

  • Sweet potato 600g
  • Sweet potato powder 300g
  • Sugar 300g
  • Water

*note: the above amount makes a 10 inch rice cake. The sweet potato to powder is a 2:1 ratio. You can make adjustments based on the amount of rice cake you would like to make. 


Directions: 

  • Peel the skin of the sweet potatoes, then cut them into chunks. 
  • Put the sweet potato chunks into a pot and fill it up with water (just to cover the sweet potatoes)
  • Cook until the sweet potato is soft and fully cooked
  • Add sugar, mix well and let the pot cool
  • Once cooled, pour in the sweet potato powder and mix evenly
  • Pour the mixture into a pan or mold and place into a steamer to steam under medium heat for 40 minutes. 

*this recipe is a must-have in Yu-Wei’s family every year during Lunar New Year. Her grandma’s recipe and a dish full of memories.



Lifestyle

    Though we mentioned that the Yang energy is beginning to rise with the Beginning of Spring, the temperature in general is still quite cold. Therefore, it is best to still wear in layers instead of going out with thin clothing (or even shorts and t-shirts just because the sun is out). It’s good to go outdoors for some fresh air, sunlight, and exercise. At the same time, while in public areas, we must still follow the basic guidelines of social distancing and wearing a mask. Avoid touching the face and wash hands after touching anything. 



Essential Oil Blend --  Scalp Awakening Blend

  • Helichrysum Immortelle  (5 drops)

  • Rosemary (CT) Verbenone (3 drops)

  • German Chamomile (1 drop)

  • Cold-pressed sesame oil (4ml)

  • St. John’s Wort oil (1ml)

above blend + 1 drop of Thyme (thymol) for preventing dandruff
above blend + 1 drop of Lemon Thyme for oily hair

How to use:
  1.     Apply onto the scalp and use your fingertips (the meaty part of your fingertips) to evenly massage the whole scalp so the oil blend can be fully absorbed.
  2. Use a comb and come hair from the front (forehead) towards the back (neck area), from right to left (the other way around is fine too) for 50 times
  3. Anywhere you feel there's tender spot, you can massage those areas a bit more
  4. Wrap the hair up with a towel for 15 minutes before washing your hair
  5. You can also put this blend in a roller bottle to carry around for massaging the scalp.



Special Annoucement!

We will be hosting our very first Facebook LIVE!

It will be on 2/13 (Sat) @7pm pacific time = 2/14 (Sun) @11am taiwan time.

Though this LIVE event will be hosted in Chinese, we will have English subtitles a few days after, so have no fear. ^^

We will be chatting a little bit about Lunar Chinese New Year and then move into our main topic of how to stay healthy for yourself and your loved ones in the new year.

We have opened up a few social media platforms for everyone to follow us and get notified with our latest updates.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/wholenaturalhealing  (or search @wholenaturalhealing)

Instagram: the_holisticapproach

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/holisticapproach



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Once again I would like to thank Yu Wei Huang L.Ac for designing the character for Li Chun and providing all of the great

suggestions for this time period. 

The essential oil blends are based off of the book "Four Seasons of Aromatherapy" by Elizabeth S.

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春天來了！在立春這個節氣，我們即將迎來農曆新年（2021年2月12日）～是中華文化中最重要的節日。通常一個家族的人會新年的前一天晚上，也就是除夕夜聚在一起吃團圓飯，依照各家習慣的不同會在飯後進行家族活動，例如打麻將或是觀看電視特別節目直到午夜過後才會去休息。這種到凌晨12點過後才去睡覺的行為被稱作守歲，除了懷念逝去的舊年時光，也有迎接新年新希望的涵義。除了守歲之外，還有長輩給予晚輩壓歲錢的習俗，寓意在新的一年給予晚輩好的運氣。


立春的養生重點：護肝養陽


可以吃／喝什麼？

春天屬肝，主升發條達。因此在春季適合食用性質辛溫發散的食物，如大蔥、洋蔥、韭菜、香菜、芹菜、竹筍等，可助長體內的陽氣。肝在色為綠色，故可多吃綠色蔬果，以五行中木的代表色來養肝。另外還有具有酸味的食品，也可適量進行補充。護肝的中藥茶飲有枸杞菊花茶、山楂紅棗茶、桑葉茶等，肝火較旺者可飲用夏枯草菊花茶。服用中藥茶時少放糖或是不放糖效果會比較好。

禁忌：辛辣、油膩、重鹹



節氣食譜－地瓜年糕

材料：

地瓜 600克

地瓜粉 300克

砂糖 300克

水 適量

  • 本食譜材料份量約可做10吋大小地瓜年糕一個。地瓜與地瓜粉的比例為2:1，可依照想做年糕的數量多寡來增加或是減少

  • 將地瓜去皮切塊後放入鍋中，加入適量清水，水量稍微淹過地瓜即可，然後開火將地瓜煮熟

  • 將煮熟的地瓜與湯水加入砂糖調味充分混和，待整鍋放涼後再加入地瓜粉拌勻

  • 將混和好的年糕糊倒入模具中，放入蒸鍋以中火蒸約40分鐘


*筆者小時候每年過年時外婆一定會做地瓜年糕，是滿載幸福回憶的料理。因此私心和大家一起分享我家的傳統～



生活習慣

進入立春之後，天地陽氣逐漸增加，氣溫會漸漸爬升，但是天氣總體而言還是偏冷的，所以不要太快將衣服換成短袖短褲，穿著應以洋蔥式穿法為主，避免因為溫差太大而生病。此時宜多出外活動，由於疫情關係，可多去人較少的地點親近大自然，呼吸新鮮空氣。溫馨提醒大家，在公共場所時請戴好口罩，觸碰任何東西後，也要注意手部消毒喔。


芳療

頭皮甦醒配方

  • 義大利永久花 (5滴)
  • 馬鞭草酮迷迭香 (3滴)
  • 德國洋甘菊 (1滴)
  • 冷壓芝麻油 (4ml)
  • 聖約翰草油 (1ml)

以上配方 + 百里酚百里香 (1滴) -- 有益於抗菌（頭皮屑）

以上配方 + 檸檬百里香 (1滴) -- 有益於去油


使用方法：

  1. 將配方塗抹於頭皮並用指腹來按摩頭皮， 讓精油被完全吸收。
  2. 梳頭 -- 從前額髮際線開始往後腦髮際線梳， 由左到右（反方向也OK）50次。
  3. 有感覺比較疼痛的部位可以多滴一滴精油配方， 用指腹按摩， 並多梳幾次。
  4. 梳完用毛巾包柱頭15分鐘後用溫水沖洗。
  5. 可將配方放入滾珠瓶好方便隨身攜帶， 拿來按摩頭部穴位哦！

重要宣布！

我們將於2/13/2021太平洋時間晚上7點（2/14/2021台灣時間上午11點）在Facebook進行直播～

主題是新年+情人節直播活動：為你愛的人做好防護，Covid-19自我照護法。

請大家多支持！


請至我們的Facebook專頁按讚追蹤，就可即時收到我們的最新消息: https://www.facebook.com/wholenaturalhealing 

(或是在FB搜尋@wholenaturalhealing)


Instagram: the_holisticapproach


我們也有Podcast: https://anchor.fm/holisticapproach





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非常感謝中醫師黃昱瑋所提供有關【立春】時期的養生方法還有可愛的插畫。 

精油配方是來自沈莉莎的24節氣經絡芳療自療全書

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