Nourishing the spleen

Introducing the Spleen Just as the Earth is the centre of the cosmos from the viewpoint of a human being, ‘Earth’s Organ’, the Spleen, is seen as holding a central place in the human body. Our well-being can be seen as dependent on our ability to absorb and process nourishment. This is the realm of the Spleen in…

The Spleen likes to feel a satisfied glow of comfort after eating. An eating style that nourishes the Spleen is one that is homely and generous, one that gives attention to the ‘feel-good factor’, generating a sense of abundance and care.

In Chinese medicine the Spleen is said to be nourished by sweet food. This does not mean sugar but rather the deep sweet taste of grains or root vegetables as in rice pudding or pumpkin soup. Generally speaking the Spleen likes well-cooked food such as thick soups or stews which are easy on the digestion; it has more difficulty with raw and cold food. The weaker the Spleen, the more it benefits from well-cooked meals.

The Spleen also dislikes being flooded with too much fluid so it is helpful to drink only a little fluid with meals and have most fluid intake between meals. It is helpful to separate fruit and sweetened foods from the main meal, eating them instead as between-meal snacks. This assists the Spleen’s function of sifting and sorting and helps reduce digestive fermentation.

Chewing well helps the Spleen to digest, and warms chilled or raw food. We can also assist the Spleen by sitting in a relaxed way with an open and untwisted posture. Sitting slumped or twisted will compress the digestive organs and hinder digestion.

Aromatic flavours stimulate the digestion, so the inclusion of aromatic herbs and spices in cooking will encourage the Spleen not to become Stagnant. Sweet-flavoured foods, especially foods rich in complex carbohydrates, are used by the Spleen to release energy steadily into the system; they form the centre of a Spleen-supportive diet.

Finally, according to the system of correspondences in Chinese medicine it is said that yellow/orange foods such as squash, ‘red’ lentils or carrot are energetically resonant with the Spleen and will support its functions.

This piece is written by Daverick Leggett see the full article here.

• Fruits

  Banana
  Fig
  Kiwi
  Pear
  Blueberries
  Grape
  Lemon/lime
  Pineapple
  Apple
  Cherry
  Grapefruit
  Mango
  Plum
  Pea
  Date
  Guana
  Papaya

• Vegetables

  Cauliflower
  Marrow
  Squash
  Water chestnut
  Oyster mushrooms
  Swiss chard
  Parsnip
  Stringbean
  Water cress
  Shitake mushrooms
  Aubergine
  Courgette
  Potatoe
  Sweet potatoe
  Yam
  Carrot
  Coriander leaf
  Pumpkin
  Turnip
  Field mushrooms
  Avocado

• Meat

  Anchovy
  Mullet
  Salmon
  Sardine
  Tuna
  Whitebait
  Beef tripe
  Pork tripe
  Turkey

• Grains, seeds and Legume

  Rice
  Spelt
  
  Almond
  Hazelnut
  
  Pumpkin seed
  Linseed

  Kidney beans
  Chickpea
  Aduki

This piece is taken from the website of Daverick Leggett.