Traditional Chinese Medicine Guide to Nine Body Constitutions: Which One Are You?

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Traditional Chinese Medicine Guide to Nine Body Constitutions: Which One Are You?

No matter when, health preservation is always an important matter. Understanding your own constitution can help you better regulate your body. Below, let's discuss the nine constitutions in Traditional Chinese Medicine and how to preserve health according to your constitution.

Yang Deficiency Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Cold hands and feet, diarrhea after eating cold foods, loose muscles, sparse hair, pale complexion. Prone to feeling cold, drowsiness and fatigue, frequent sweating, fear of cold and wind, preference for hot foods, often feeling thirsty but not wanting to drink water.

Dietary suggestions: Eat more warm foods, eat less cold foods. You can try deer antler, mulberry mistletoe, eucommia bark, cinnamon bark, ginseng, red ginseng, goji berries, red dates, etc. Eat more mutton, venison, lychee, longan, jujube, chestnuts, chicken, Chinese yam, durian, sweet potato, red lotus root, etc. Eat less crown daisy, watermelon, pear, persimmon, loquat, bitter gourd, mung beans, green tea, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Keep warm, wash hair quickly, avoid eating out-of-season foods, wear socks and cover with a quilt when sleeping, keep warm drinks at home.

Exercise: Jogging, Tai Chi, yoga, walking, sunbathing, etc.

Moxibustion: Zhongwan (CV12), Zusanli (ST36), Shenshu (BL23), Guanyuan (CV4).

Yin Deficiency Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Thin body type, dizziness and blurred vision, hot palms and soles, dark red lips, dry mouth and throat, constipation, dry skin, dry and astringent eyes.

Dietary suggestions: Eat more fruits, stay away from spicy foods. You can try lily bulb, white fungus, snow pear, donkey-hide gelatin, dwarf lilyturf root, fragrant solomonseal, coastal glehnia root, asparagus root, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, sweet almonds, etc. Eat more pomegranate, grapes, goji berries, lemon, apple, citrus, banana, loquat, mulberry, monk fruit, sugarcane, loofah, bitter gourd, cucumber, spinach, white fungus, bird's nest, black sesame, lotus root, etc. Eat less Sichuan pepper, fennel, cinnamon bark, chili, scallion, ginger, garlic, leek, shrimp, lychee, longan, walnut, cherry, mutton, dog meat, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Maintain a happy mood, balanced nutrition, strengthen exercise, do not stay up late or overwork.

Exercise: Avoid high-intensity exercises that cause excessive sweating; duration should not be too long. You can try Baduanjin, swimming, yoga, walking, aerobics, etc.

Qi Deficiency Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Dull complexion, low spirits, shortness of breath and fatigue, easy sweating, dizziness and headache, poor memory, low mood, weak voice, prone to illness.

Dietary suggestions: Avoid cold and suppress heat. You can try ginseng, codonopsis, astragalus, white hyacinth bean, jujube, Chinese yam, poria, atractylodes, Job's tears, ginkgo, pork stomach, chicken, silver carp, yellow croaker, glutinous rice, millet, etc. Eat less betel nut, mint, pepper, hawthorn, turnip, perilla leaf, mint, lotus leaf, buckwheat, citrus fruits, water chestnut, raw radish, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, amomum, chrysanthemum, bergamot, radish leaves, and tobacco and alcohol.

Lifestyle habits: Regular daily routine, avoid overwork, go to bed early and get up early, do not stay up late. Exercise moderately, eat slowly and chew thoroughly.

Exercise: Moderate exercise, walking, jogging, badminton, table tennis, swimming, etc.

Phlegm-Dampness Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Overweight and puffy, heavy and tired body, oily face and hair, dull complexion, sticky mouth, preference for fatty and sweet foods, excessive sweating and phlegm, enlarged tongue.

Dietary suggestions: Keep diet light, eat less sweets and fatty meats. You can try codonopsis, astragalus, atractylodes, lotus seeds, poria, Job's tears, euryale seeds, white hyacinth bean, tangerine peel, etc. Eat more soybeans, radish, seaweed, Job's tears, winter melon, red adzuki beans, white hyacinth bean, corn silk, crown daisy, mung beans, etc. Eat less fried chicken, fatty meat, beverages, barbecue, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Get more sun, keep a happy mood, often perform gua sha, eat less at dinner.

Exercise: Walking, Tai Chi, Baduanjin, Six-Character Formula, etc.

Damp-Heat Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Dark gray complexion, irritability and anger, difficulty breathing, bitter taste and bad breath, dry mouth but not wanting to drink, poor appetite, easy anger, short and yellow urine, sticky stools.

Dietary suggestions: Light diet, less sweet and spicy. You can try skullcap, Job's tears, cape jasmine, oriental wormwood, honeysuckle, dandelion, cassia seed, etc. Eat more mung beans, bitter gourd, loofah, snake melon, celery, shepherd's purse, bamboo shoots, seaweed, kelp, etc. Eat less betel nut, mint, pepper, hawthorn, turnip, pepper, long pepper, perilla leaf, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Keep living space ventilated and dry, wear breathable clothes, maintain a happy mood, good routine, go to bed early and get up early, do not stay up late.

Exercise: Long-distance running, swimming, mountain climbing, badminton, basketball, etc.

Qi Stagnation Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Pessimistic and anxious, sensitive and nervous, timid and lonely, thin body, poor sleep and easily awakened, dull complexion, dizziness and chest tightness, sensation of a foreign body in the throat.

Dietary suggestions: Nourish liver blood, quit smoking and alcohol. You can try rose, tangerine peel, goji berries, angelica, white peony root, donkey-hide gelatin, fleeceflower root, bupleurum, bitter orange, bergamot, etc. Eat more radish, bergamot, orange, tangerine peel, citron, buckwheat, leek, garlic, sorghum, peas, etc. Eat less sugar, coffee, high salt, pomegranate, dark plum, green plum, bayberry, strawberry, carambola, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Go out to relax, listen to favorite music, chat with others, read books, watch comedies.

Exercise: Walking, jogging, swimming, card games, martial arts, etc.

Blood Stasis Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Dark and dull complexion, prone to spots, dark lips, easy bruising, frequent pain, irritability and forgetfulness, dry and falling hair, menstrual blood clots.

Dietary suggestions: Warm yang and dispel cold. You can try safflower, peach kernel, ligusticum, red peony root, notoginseng, turmeric, salvia miltiorrhiza, motherwort, etc. Eat more white radish, citrus, garlic, ginger, fennel, cinnamon bark, hawthorn, leek, etc. Eat less sweet potato, taro, dark plum, bitter gourd, persimmon, broad bean, chestnut, fatty meat, cream, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Maintain an optimistic mood, keep warm and avoid cold, do not stay up late or use eyes for long periods.

Exercise: Yijin Jing guidance, Tai Chi, Tai Chi sword, Baduanjin, Five Animals Play, various dances, brisk walking, jogging, bodyweight exercises, etc.

Special Constitution

Constitutional characteristics: Congenital and hereditary, prone to colds, severe skin scratch marks, easy redness, allergies when seasons change, frequent diarrhea and nausea.

Dietary suggestions: Any food can be a trigger, especially milk, fish, shrimp, meat, eggs, and nuts. You can try reishi, licorice, saposhnikovia, etc. Eat more glutinous rice, corn, black beans, soybeans, sweet potato, pork liver, muscle, mutton, beef, hairtail, jujube, honey, carrot, fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. Eat less cold-natured foods such as bitter gourd, tomato, lily bulb, lotus root, bamboo shoots, houttuynia, purslane, carp, river crab, mud snail, kelp, seaweed, field snail, mulberry, sugarcane, etc.

Lifestyle habits: Wear a mask when going out, rinse underwear multiple times, ensure adequate sleep, keep warm and prevent cold, avoid pets, go out less in spring, avoid pollen and dust.

Exercise: Ensure clean water when swimming, jogging, walking, static exercises, yoga, etc.

Balanced Constitution

Characteristics

· Body shape: Well-proportioned and strong.

· Psychological traits: Easygoing and cheerful personality.

People with a "balanced yin and yang" constitution usually have these characteristics! Hope you have many of them.

· Common manifestations: Moist and lustrous complexion, thick and shiny hair, bright eyes, clear nose with good sense of smell, normal taste, rosy lips, full of energy, not easily fatigued, tolerant of cold and heat, peaceful sleep, good appetite, normal urination and defecation, pale red tongue with thin white coating, harmonious and spirited pulse.

Understanding your own constitution can help you better regulate your body. I hope these suggestions can help you find a suitable health preservation method and maintain health!

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