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Adele on GOOP – Spring Allergy and Detox Remedies

This is part II in a series of living according to the seasons, which is an ancient Chinese principle for good health. Our lifestyle, activities and eating habits should naturally reflect the energies of each season. We have already discussed Winter, in the Chinese New Year newsletter, and now we come to Spring. Spring is a time of renewal and growth. In the winter months we talked about storage and hibernation, a time to recharge the batteries. Now that spring is upon us, it is time to begin stretching out and becoming more active again, and renewing ourselves.

Each new day has its springtime. Try getting up just before dawn, when the black night sky slowly turns to blue. The sun rises in the East, and the blue color of dawn opens to our eyes and we experience the new day. Spring is like this.

One of the first signs of spring is the maple syrup season. The sap of the trees begins to flow up from the roots of the tree, to the tips of the branches. This happens before the buds begin to show themselves. Only after the sap reaches to the top of the tree do the buds begin to show. Our energy is like this too. Our sap begins to flow in the early spring and our physiology begins to change gears, to welcome the spring season, which is supple and flows like the wind. The following poem is fitting to the season:

“The Spring Wind does not distinguish between high and low, it reaches everywhere. And the flowers and branches of plants and trees, themselves grow longer and shorter.”
— excerpt from The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment

Beethoven’s Violin Sonata #5 in F, opus #24 “Spring” has this same feeling.

The fresh green color of newly sprouted leaves is the color associated with spring and the liver, so eat your greens! The slight bitter taste of fresh young greens activates the liver system. Asparagus is coming into season as are the fresh young onions, leeks and garlic. Ramps can be sautéed; they have a unique flavor, like the mix of fresh spring onions and leeks, they are wild and are more and more popular. For a sweeter taste, strawberries will soon be here.

Many of my patients ask me about doing spring detoxification regimens, and spring is a time that the body naturally cleanses itself and renews itself, just think spring-cleaning! If one eats right, gets proper rest and exercise, the body will actually detox itself naturally. Since the liver is the organ system associated with springtime and it corresponds to the tendons and muscles, stretching or practicing yoga, is good to activate this energy. It also corresponds to the head and neck, and it is easy to get allergies, and stiff necks and headaches in the springtime. One should avoid catching cold especially around the head and neck to prevent stiff necks and headaches.

If you are an allergy sufferer, I recommend avoiding mucus producing foods, such as dairy, wheat, sugar, and cold raw foods and also taking a probiotic. This will help minimize allergy attacks in most people. For further guidance on this subject go to my website and check out the yeast free diet. If you follow it for about 6 weeks, you will lose a little unwanted winter weight, avoid the misery of allergy season and also detox naturally and be ready to bloom in the summer months. This diet cleans out the lymphatic system and calms down the immune system naturally. The neti pot sinus cleanse is also useful for spring allergies. If your symptoms are severe see an acupuncturist and/or a Chinese herbalist. They can also help with the stiff necks and headaches many people experience in the spring season.

The simplest, easiest ways to ensure that your spring is budding is to enjoy it. Get out into the sunshine for some exercise, and enjoy the nature around you.

Here are some other Spring related items I shared in the GOOP Newsletter:

Spring Detox Remedy

Ginger and Scallion Soup

Spring Allergy Essential Oil Remedy

Neti Pot

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Spring Allergy Essential Oil Remedy


  • German Chamomile – 14 drops
  • Lavender – 6 drops
  • Eucalyptus – 7 drops

Mix with 10 ml of sweet almond oil.

Apply to chest, behind ears, the back of the neck and in the fleshy area on the acupuncture point between the thumb and forefinger. Use a small amount, apply 2 to 3 times per day.

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Ginger and Scallion Soup

  • Fresh ginger—peel and dice about 5 slices
  • 3 scallions chopped
  • 1.5 cups water

Boil the ingredients lightly uncovered about 10 minutes and drink. It should induce a light sweat. This is a home remedy for colds and runny nose.

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Spring Detox Remedy

To boost the immune system in the spring and also for the year to come, below is a very effective food remedy called 甘草綠豆水: (Licorice and Green Mung Bean Drink). The green color of the mung bean is associated with Spring and the liver, it has a cooling nature. The licorice harmonizes and strengthens the digestion.

    Serves: 1

  • Fill a pot with 2,000 ml of water and bring to a boil.
  • Put 100g of licorice in it, let it cool.
  • Mix 400g of clean green mung bean in the pot, let it sit for 6-8 hours.
  • Take the liquid.

Licorice and mung bean do detox well, especially the mung bean, which is used to purge toxins in liver.  Doing this kind of simple detox several times a week, one’s immune system will become much stronger and in so doing prevent one from getting the spring cold. The beans provide enzymes to the digestive system. This remedy can be done for a week, every other day.

Another way to do the same in food is to have cooked daikon.  It can be prepared in several different kinds of dishes, mostly either the daikon soup with ginger (in the bone broth) or the braised mixed vegetable dish with boiled eggs (i.e., Daikon, gobo, konnyaku, carrot, bamboo shoot, potato, lotus root, etc.).  We often cook the daikon without peeling the skin because the fiber helps with the detox process.

The best vegetables to have in the spring is green onion/scallion and leek.  Both of them have a stronger medicinal effect in the spring than at other times of the year and can boost the liver function and enhance one’s energy level.

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Adele on GOOP – Year of the Tiger


My contribution to Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP Newsletter for Living by the Seasons – Winter

Chinese New Year, Year of the Tiger


February 14th marks the beginning of the New Year in the Chinese lunar calendar. This is the year of the Tiger. The Chinese ancient pictograph for the tiger is of a crouching tiger, which is a fitting emblem for the New Year. The pictograph depicts a tiger crouching down with his head turned to the side, he is quiet, waiting in peaceful repose. We don’t often think of tigers in their resting state, but all cats know when to pounce and when to be still, and winter is a time to be still.

Living According To The Seasons

In winter the days are shorter with less natural light, which also brings less natural warmth. It is a time to slow down and let our bodies restore and rejuvenate. Going to bed earlier, resting and giving ourselves a chance to catch our breath are all a part of the natural cycle of winter.

All year long we are busy, too busy really. We’re running helter-skelter from this meeting to that meeting, worried about money, too busy to cook dinner, too busy to sleep, too busy to be the tiger in peaceful repose.

So where does all this really get us? Being overworked and chronically stressed tax the adrenals, the gland associated with the fight or flight response. When the adrenals are constantly employed for energy it can lead to morning anxiety, insomnia, blood sugar problems, and a disruption in the endocrine system. This only necessitates working more to make the money needed to support all of the doctor’s bills, acupuncture appointments, and yoga classes required to feel better. So what can we do when we find ourselves in a hyper-adrenalized state?

Adrenaline

First, let’s try to understand what is happening in the body when it is overworked and chronically stressed. When we are working too hard, our body begins to produce adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands located on the kidneys. It is a stress hormone involved in the fight or flight response. It keeps us going when we are taxed and need to tap into our reserves to make it through a stressful time. The adrenals are akin to our emergency battery – they keep the lights on when the power is out. If we live under constant stress (like many of us do) the system begins to break down and our bodies become depleted. We can’t live on adrenaline, on the emergency batteries, forever.

Recharge Your Batteries and Start Living Healthy

One thing I have come to appreciate in all my years of studying Chinese Medicine, and working with so many patients, as well as being a lover of the outdoors, is that our individual bodies are a reflection of the environment. The same things that are healthy and good for our bodies are equally good for the environment.

I’m going to ask you to please slow down a little. Use this season to begin to understand in a new way the natural rhythms of the earth.

Winter is the season for quiet repose, a natural time to unwind, slow down and let the adrenal glands replenish. Just think of the bears in hibernation and the trees losing their leaves and returning nutrients to their roots. Winter is the season of conservation and storage, a natural time to restore and recuperate.

Change One Habit

How can you begin to let your activities, and your time for rest, mirror the quietness and coldness of the winter months? Of course it would be extreme to forgo all of your work and priorities to simply lock yourself in and hibernate for the winter, but can you take at least one step? Can you make one small change at the beginning of this New Year to form one new habit, which will bring you warmth and a little peace through this cold winter?

Start by modifying your eating habits by adding a few new good foods to your list. During this time of year, winter squashes and root vegetables are very good to cook. Dried mushrooms are a potent tonic for the lungs and seasonably available. Parsley is a savory winter green full of Vitamin C. Dried goji berries and walnuts are also good; try adding them to hot cereal. Definitely avoid cold and raw foods, as they are particularly hard to digest right now. The following recipes and home remedies will recharge the kidneys and adrenals during the winter months. Add these food to your winter repertoire and you’ll be sure to feel a positive difference.

The key to Chinese Medicine, and to these home remedies, is consistency. The potency of the effects builds slowly in your system over time, and it is the slow steady changes that are the longest lasting and most healing.

In peaceful tranquility quiet your mind, then empty and erase your mind of thoughts.

Written by the grand master and doctor Mu Wee Dang at the age of 91.

For Winter Home Remedies and Self Care, check out: