The Dog Days start on the third Geng day after the Summer Solstice, known as the Initial Dog Days (10 days); the fourth Geng day after the Summer Solstice is called the Middle Dog Days (10 days, but sometimes 20 days), while the first Geng day after the Start of Autumn marks the End Dog Days (10 days). Following this period, seasonal changes usher in autumn.
2024 Dog Days Schedule:
Initial Dog Days: July 15, 2024 – July 24, 2024, a total of 10 days
Middle Dog Days: July 25, 2024 – August 13, 2024, a total of 20 days
End Dog Days: August 14, 2024 – August 21, 2024, a total of 8 days
As early as the Tang Dynasty, “Medicine King” Sun Simiao advocated eating light and sweet foods during summer. It seems that tea is an excellent choice. During the Dog Days, are you drinking the right tea?
Green tea is the most common type of tea, and many famous teas in China are green teas. Drinking green tea in summer can help cool down and relieve heat. Green tea has a slightly bitter taste and is cold in nature, with the ability to detoxify, clear heat, reduce dryness, quench thirst, promote saliva production, and invigorate the heart and mind. Drinking green tea in summer is refreshing and delicious, rich in vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients. Drinking green tea in summer not only cools and relieves heat but also provides nutritional benefits.
Drinking green tea is also beneficial for fighting radiation, so it's not just good for summer; those frequently exposed to radiation (such as computer radiation) can drink green tea all year round.
Green tea does not undergo fermentation during its production process. Although it has high nutritional value, it contains a lot of chlorophyll, which can be harsh on the stomach. Patients with gastric ulcers should avoid drinking green tea. Additionally, people with allergies and those who are prone to cold conditions should not drink too much green tea.
Dark (Black) Tea
Dark tea cleanses the intestines. Anhua dark tea is a cooling beverage that can quickly dispel summer heat and dissipate heat. It is also a truly healthy drink. Borderland herdsmen say, “We can go three days without food but not a single day without tea; one day without tea causes sluggishness, and three days without tea leads to illness.” This is because Anhua dark tea helps digest food, remove greasiness, and cleanse the digestive tract. Drinking dark tea during the summer is very beneficial for maintaining intestinal health. Anhua dark tea is known as “the body's scavenger.”
Dark tea replenishes nutrients. According to traditional Chinese medicine, from the Summer Solstice until the start of autumn, the weather is the hottest, and it is also the time when the body loses the most nutrients. Careful supplementation is advised, with emphasis on dietary adjustments. Anhua dark tea is an excellent dietary supplement. It is rich in nutrients, can quickly replenish bodily fluids, cool and relieve heat, and simultaneously strengthen the spleen and stomach, ensuring normal work and good health.
Dark tea treats enteritis. In summer, digestive function weakens, and resistance decreases. Food spoils more quickly due to bacterial growth, leading to gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea, acute enteritis, and acute bacillary dysentery.
There has been a folk remedy in Anhua for treating gastroenteritis using aged dark tea.
Dark tea aids in weight loss and lowering cholesterol. It is well-known that dark tea can help with weight loss, and Anhua dark tea is particularly effective. For weight loss with dark tea, it is best to drink freshly brewed, strong tea. Additionally, aim to drink about 1.5 liters per day, with a cup before and after meals. Persistently following this practice will yield significant results.
Black Tea
Black tea is a fermented tea. Black tea contains little tea polyphenol but is rich in theaflavins, thearubigins, and other substances due to fermentation. Black tea has a rich aroma, and drinking it in summer can help refresh the mind, quench thirst, clear heat, promote urination, detoxify, and nourish the stomach.
Due to the low content of tea polyphenols, black tea is less stimulating to the stomach. There are many ways to drink black tea, and adding sugar or milk to black tea in summer can protect the stomach lining and be effective in treating gastric ulcers.
It is important to note that black tea should not be drunk cold in summer. Refill the cup when there is about one-third of the tea left, with three refills being ideal per cup.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea belongs to the category of light teas and is a partially fermented tea. Oolong tea contains almost no vitamin C but is rich in iron, calcium, and other minerals, as well as digestive enzymes and fat-decomposing components. Drinking a cup of oolong tea before and after meals can promote fat decomposition and aid in weight loss.
Oolong tea is neither cold nor hot, but rather has a cool and sweet flavor, making it a neutral tea. Most people can drink oolong tea in summer. The leaves of oolong tea are coarse and require boiling water at 100°C for brewing.
White Tea
Have you heard of white tea? Unlike green tea, it is a lightly fermented tea. White tea is produced in areas of Fujian, China, with Fuding white tea being the most renowned. Compared to green tea, white tea does not undergo the processes of pan-frying and rolling. Therefore, white tea largely retains the nutrients present in the tea leaves.
The content of tea polyphenols in white tea is higher than in green tea and oolong tea, and tea polyphenols have the effect of boosting immunity and protecting cardiovascular health. White tea can effectively control insulin secretion, decompose excess sugar in the Blood, and promote balanced blood sugar levels.
Drinking white tea in summer can prevent heatstroke, as the multiple amino acids in white tea have a heat-clearing and fever-reducing effect. Drinking white tea in summer also promotes oral cleanliness and health.
Pu'er Tea
Pu'er tea is highly effective for weight loss, especially in reducing abdominal fat. Those looking to lose weight in summer can drink freshly brewed Pu'er tea, aiming for 1.5 liters per day, with a cup before and after meals. By the end of summer, you may find that the extra fat around your abdomen has disappeared.
Pu'er tea is mild and robust, suitable for those with a cold constitution. Drinking Pu'er tea in summer warms the stomach, lowers blood pressure, and reduces cholesterol. Long-term consumption of Pu'er tea is effective in alleviating arteriosclerosis and preventing cardiovascular diseases.
During these 40 days, please refrain from consuming icy water, beverages, and foods, as they can lead to the accumulation of coldness in the body that cannot be expelled. The fear of cold and cold hands and feet in winter can be traced back to neglect during the Dog Days. To expel the deep-seated coldness in your body, persist in drinking hot water during the Dog Days, which can drive out years of deeply rooted coldness.