The phrase "nourishing yang in spring and summer" originated from the "Su Wen: A Great Treatise on Regulating the Four Qi and the Spirit", which is one of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine for health preservation that adapts to the times.

It is said that during spring and summer, the natural yang energy rises, and those who seek health should cultivate it in accordance with the times. It is necessary to protect the yang energy in the body and keep it abundant. At this time, any situation that consumes yang energy and hinders the smooth flow of yang energy should be avoided. Especially for people with a yang deficiency constitution who often feel tired, pale, and have cold hands and feet, spring and summer are a good time to warm up the yang. But the author believes that it cannot be limited to "nourishing yang". The human body is a complex of yin and yang, and the balance of yin and yang is the foundation of health. People with yang deficiency also need to "supplement yang three times and nourish yin seven times".

Generally speaking, it is correct to nourish yang in spring and summer, but we cannot simply nourish yang, but should seek yang from yin; It is also right to nourish yin in autumn and winter, and we cannot simply nourish yin. We must seek yin from yang. This is because in clinical practice, simple "yang deficiency" or "yin deficiency" is rare, and can be said to be negligible. The most common is "yin and yang deficiency leaning towards yin deficiency or yang deficiency".

In clinical practice, for patients with chronic bronchitis and other conditions, if their condition recurs or worsens in late autumn or early winter, following the principle of "nourishing yin in autumn and winter", taking nourishing yin, moistening lungs, resolving phlegm, and stopping cough medicine often has poor therapeutic effects, and some may even increase chest tightness, phlegm, and asthma. Upon investigation, this type of patient is often characterized by a deficiency of both yin and yang, with a preference for yang deficiency, especially in the spleen and kidney. They should follow the principle of "if the patient is suffering from phlegm and drinks, warm medicine should be used to treat it" and switch to Linggui Zhugan Tang or Zhenwu Tang to achieve the desired effect. But in spring and summer, if we continue to use warm medicine, it seems to be in line with the principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer". However, patients often experience dryness in the throat and mouth, worsening cough, irritability, and lack of breath. Even if there are no symptoms, medication such as "Mai Wei Di Huang Tang" or "Ba Wei Shen Qi Wan" should be given to treat the root cause. If the expected therapeutic effect can be achieved, there will be no or mild onset of the disease until winter.

For people with yang deficiency, tonifying yang is simple, but nourishing yin is not easy. Pure warming of yang will soon lead to symptoms such as excessive yang and damage to yin, resulting in discomfort such as excessive internal heat. Only by nurturing yin first can excessive yang not occur. In fact, people with qi deficiency also need to nourish yin first, because qi belongs to yang and blood belongs to yin, but the symptoms are relatively mild. People with yang deficiency mainly exhibit fatigue, pale complexion, cold hands and feet, pale tongue, white fur, preference for hot foods, poor digestion, and loose stools; If there is no feeling of coldness, only fatigue and weakness in the limbs, then it is Qi deficiency.

People with yang deficiency and qi deficiency need three parts to nourish yang and seven parts to supplement yin. If there are symptoms of Yang deficiency, such as fear of cold, waist soreness, dizziness, tinnitus, etc., Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan can be taken to help nourish yin and supplement yang without causing excessive internal heat. In addition, at ordinary times, you can also use lily, sea cucumber and other traditional Chinese medicine materials to soak in water, cook porridge and soup, so that you can warm the yang without burning.