立春陽生發 雨水猶涼潤

文/卓鵬偉

“陽和起蟄，品物皆春”。立春和雨水是春天的開始，立春后一陽初生，草木生發復榮；雨水后降雨漸多，天氣回暖還寒。肝屬木，應于春，立春、雨水時節使用辛甘生發之類的食藥物質有助于舒暢肝氣、怡養脾胃、協調五臟。

＂Everything comes back to life and spring returns to the earth.＂ Chinese solar terms of ＂Beginning of Spring＂ and ＂Rain Water＂ show the beginning of spring.Yang-Qi rises and grass grows after the Beginning of Spring while there will be more rain and chilly weather after solar term of Rain Water.The liver belongs with the wood element and corresponds with spring.At this time, some medicinal foods that taste pungent or sweet can help soothe Liver-Qi, nourish the spleen and stomach, and harmonize the five organs.

萬物始萌食辛味Pungency foods is the best choice when everything is in bloom

從立春開始到雨水結束的一個月時間里，隨著自然界的一陽初生，人體肝氣逐漸旺盛，氣血上升，形成肝旺陽升的生理特點?！傲⒋河晁?，早起晚睡覺”，這一階段，促進陽氣生發成為人們在生產生活中遵循的原則。

In the solar terms of the Beginning of Spring and Rain Water, as the Yang-Qi rises in nature, the human body's Liver-Qi gradually flourishes, forming the physiological characteristic of liver ascending.＂When the solar terms of Beginning of Spring and Rain Water arrive, we get up early and sleep late.＂ At this period,the promotion of Yang-Qi has become a principle that people follow in their productive lives.

我國立春的膳食習俗多樣，不同時期、不同地域略有差異。例如東漢時期有“食生菜”、晉代有“五辛盤”、唐代有吃春盤，此外，還有吃春餅、春卷，咬春、嘗春等，這些習俗所用食物大多具有辛味特性，具有發散作用，可生發肝氣，符合春季養肝的思想。

There is a variety of dietary practices during the Beginning of Spring, which varies slightly from one historical dynasty to another and from one region to another.For example, in the Eastern Han Dynasty there was ＂Mixed greens＂; in the Jin Dynasty there was the ＂Five-pungent vegetables＂ and in Tang Dynasty there was the ＂Spring vegetable dishes＂.In addition, there were also customs including spring cakes, spring rolls, biting the spring, tasting the spring and so on.Most of the food used in these customs had the taste of pungency, which was in line with the idea of nourishing the liver in the spring.

雨水在春節之后，流傳的膳食習俗相對較少。例如成都東山客家有“送雨水”，華南地區有“占稻色”，這些習俗雖然表達感恩、祈求豐收等美好愿望，但所用食物以調養脾胃為主，能夠達到養脾胃以調肝氣的目的。

The Rain Water comes after the Spring Festival.There are relatively few meal customs that are during Rain Water.For example, the Hakka in Dongshan, Chengdu,have the custom of ＂sending rainwater＂ while in southern China there are customs of ＂occupying the color of rice＂.All the customs are mainly to nourish the spleen and stomach and to express thanksgiving,praying for a good harvest and other good wishes.Although these customs express gratitude, pray for a good harvest and other good wishes, the food used is mainly to nourish the spleen and stomach, which can achieve the purpose of regulating Liver-Qi.

辛甘生發養肝脾Pungent and sweet foods nourishing the liver and spleen

不同節氣可用的食藥物質，其特性各有不同，立春時節偏重于辛味，雨水則偏重于甘味。

The characteristics of medicinal food differ from one solar term to another, with the pungent favored in Beginning of Spring and the sweet favored in Rain Water.

《黃帝內經》“肝苦急，急食甘以緩之，肝欲散，急食辛以散之”的記載，奠定了中醫藥物五味調質肝病的理論依據。其醫理為，當肝氣郁滯時，導致脾胃不暢，可用甘味藥物健脾以助肝氣條達，以具有發散性質的辛味藥物疏散肝郁，促進肝氣生發。

Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperorrecorded that＂when the liver is bitter and anxious, you'd better eat food of sweet flavor to relieve.When liver needs to be evacuated, it can be evacuated by eating foods of pungent flavor.＂ This establishes the theoretical basis for TCM medications to nourish the liver.Its medical theory is that when Liver-Qi is stagnant, resulting in spleen and stomach disorders, sweet medicines help to regulate Liver-Qi, and dispersing pungent medicines can be used to evacuate liver depression and promote Liver-Qi development.

因此，立春以升補為主，助陽氣生發，可選韭菜、蘿卜、黃豆芽、蔥、香菜（芫荽）、枸杞子等辛味食藥物質，制作成蝦仁韭菜水餃、韭菜炒蝦仁、七寶羮等膳食。雨水時節可選薏米、山藥、芹菜、春筍、小米、芋頭、蓮藕等甘味食藥物質，以甘溫補脾胃，意在防止肝木之氣過剩。

Therefore, during the Beginning of Spring, you can choose leeks, radish, soybean sprouts, green onions,cilantro (coriander), Lycii Fructus and other pungent medicinal food to make shrimp and leek dumplings,stir-fried shrimp with leeks, Soup of Seven Delicacies and other meals.During the Rain Water you can choose barley, Rhizoma Dioscoreae, celery, spring bamboo shoots, millet, taro, lotus root and other sweet medicinal food to nourish spleen and stomach so as to prevent the excessive liver-wood.

結 語Conclusion

“春三月，此謂發陳”。立春、雨水節氣選擇食藥物質的標準密碼是“辛甘生發”，選擇辛味甘味的食藥物質有助于人體舒肝養脾，達到養生目的。值得注意的是，酸味有收斂之性，會影響肝的疏泄功能，杏、山楂、檸檬、烏梅等在立春和雨水之季不宜過多食用。

＂Spring means revival and growth.＂ The standard code for choosing medicinal food for these two solar terms is ＂pungent, sweet and nourishment＂.Pungent and sweet medicinal food can help the body to soothe the liver and nourish the spleen.Sour flavor has the nature of astringency and will prevent the Liver-Qi from dredging.As a result, during these two solar terms you should not eat too much such as apricot, hawthorn,lemon, plum, etc.

小貼士

七寶羮

Soup of Seven Delicacies

芹菜、芥菜、菠菜各100 g，韭菜、小蔥、香菜、蒜苗各50 g，切碎備用。鍋中加清水1 000 ml左右，燒開后加入適量植物油，放入芥菜煮1分鐘左右，再放入芹菜、菠菜、韭菜煮沸，加入適量淀粉芡后，再放入香蔥、蒜苗、香菜煮沸，調入食鹽即可。

Prepare and chop 100g each of celery, mustard greens, spinach and 50g each of leeks, spring onions, parsley, garlic cloves.Add and boil water in a pot of about 1 000ml and then add appropriate amount of vegetable oil.Put mustard into the pot and cook for about 1 minute, and then put celery, spinach, leeks to boil.Add the appropriate amount of cornstarch gravy and then put the scallions, garlic cloves, parsley to boil.At last season with salt.