It looks like I haven’t posted anything on this current seasonal node in about 5 years! So, even though I’m a day late I figured I should really post something this year.
The new seasonal node that started yesterday, Saturday May 21st, is called Minor Fullness – Xiao Man 小滿. It is the second segment of Summer, and the eighth segment of the year. The name “Minor Fullness” is an agricultural reference, and in particular, to the harvesting of winter wheat. Winter wheat is usually planted in late Autumn, and then harvested around May or June. Thus “Minor Fullness” refers to the fullness of plants at this time, as well as the fullness of wheat as it approaches harvest. The three smaller periods contained in Minor Fullness are: Sow Thistles in Seed (Ku Cai Xiu 苦菜秀), Shepherd’s Purse Dies (Mi Cao Si 靡草死), and Minor Summer Heat Arrives (Xiao Shu Zhi 小暑至). The alternate name for the last of these three time periods is Wheat Harvest Arrives (Mai Qiu Zhi 麥秋至). In Japan these smaller segments are called Silkworms Begin Eating Mulberry (Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu 蚕起食桑), Safflower Blooms (紅花栄 Benihana sakau), and, the same as in China, Wheat Harvest Arrives (in Japanese pronunciation, Mugi no toki itaru 麥秋至).
Typically, during Minor Fullness there is more dampness and heat in the environment. This weekend in northern New Jersey we are suddenly having very hot and very humid weather. In many parts of Asia, Minor Fullness is the middle of rainy season, and even here in the northeastern United States early June is the traditional beginning of hurricane season. Thus, in Chinese there is a folk saying that goes “Xiao Man, Xiao Man, Jiang Man, He Man 小滿小滿，江滿河滿” – Minor Fullness, Minor Fullness, the rivers and streams are full. Since this time of year sees increased dampness and eventually heat the appropriate thing to focus on in order to stay healthy is preventing the build up of internal heat, and expelling disease evils such as dampness.
Although we are beginning to see dampness and heat increase, we are not yet in the middle of Summer when heat is clearly the consistently dominant weather pattern. During this Seasonal Node we still have a mix of hot and cold days, and evenings in particular can be chilly. Later this week daytime temperatures here are expected to drop some 20 degrees, with evening temperatures expected to drop into the 50s°F. Cold, being Yin, invades the lower extremities and so our wind-damp-bi patients may notice ups and downs in pain levels. As we discussed in the previous post on Beginning of Summer, May is associated with the Spleen. During Minor Fullness, when cold from below mixes with damp and heat from above, these evils may all bind in the middle burner leading to digestive disorders. Lately in the clinic I’ve been seeing quite a lot of digestive disorders along these lines with patients complaining of intermittent and ongoing diarrhea, nausea, poor appetite, and fatigue.
The traditional “to avoid” during Minor Fullness is widely fluctuating emotions/moods. As we move into Summer, the time of the Heart, it is important to maintain a happy but stable mood. We should all try to engage in more leisure activities, especially outdoor activities, while the weather is good.
In terms of diet, we can focus on foods that percolate dampness and gently clear heat. These include corn, adzuki bean, mung bean, winter melon, celery, cilantro, lily bulbs and osmanthus. Along those same lines, a basic dietary recommendation for early Summer is to decrease the amount of oil in foods and increase water consumption. If patients present more with cold and vacuous middle burners then these foods are still permissible in conjunction with foods that gently supplement the Spleen such as yams, sweet potatoes, and small amounts of beef or beef broth. An excellent daily food for Minor Fullness is Job’s Tear Barley made into congee. This can be taken as breakfast as it strengthens the Spleen and percolates damp, and is mild enough for just about any constitution. The foods to avoid during Minor Fullness are foods that are very warm and damp forming such as deep-fried foods, warmer meats such as lamb, or other greasy meats such as goose.
One of this year’s tree peonies from my yard
In terms of acupuncture my recommendation is to consider focusing on Spleen and Stomach. Points that generally regulate the Spleen and Stomach and thus can assist in dealing with dampness in the environment include Ling Gu 22.05, Si Hua Shang 77.08, and Men Jin 66.05. For patients who have poor appetite you can have them use acupressure on Kai Pi 開脾穴. You can also needle this point, but it is a bit painful! Lastly, if patients are experiencing acute diarrhea due to weather change and dampness, needle Shou Wu Jin 33.08 and Shou Qian Jin 33.09. For those unfamiliar with Tung points such as these, they are all found in the Practical Atlas I wrote along with Dr. Hans-Georg Ross - click here for more information.
Lastly I’ll mention that another fantastic thing about this seasonal node is that it is tree peony 牡丹花 season. This is one of my favorite flowers, and blooms before the regular herbaceous peonies 芍藥花. Unfortunately, like cherry blossoms, the tree peonies are very fleeting – so if you’re nearby any go out and enjoy them while you can. Stay cool and dry!