Discover delicious ways TCM fights heatstroke with everyday ingredientsSummer survival guide_Guang'anmen Hospital

Following the summer solstice, several regions across China have begun issuing heatwave warnings. In recent days, Beijing, Shanghai, and even some areas in Northeast China's Liaoning Province have seen temperatures soar above 35 C. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) summer menus have gone viral. What kind of foods can help us stay hydrated and prevent heatstroke during peak summer heat?

Red bean and barley water, mung bean drinks...
These days, standing in front of the fridge in convenience store is almost like stepping into a TCM shop. Barley helps clear dampness, mung beans cool the body — young people compare the benefits of these ingredients, reach into the freezer, and grab themselves a cool drink. In this season, these popular heat-relief drinks have become the main highlight in convenience stores.

These beverages are made from ingredients like red beans, barley, longan, goji berries, and mung beans—materials that are both medicinal and edible. They are prepared through boiling and extraction, resulting in ready-to-drink herbal beverages.

TCM experts note that such drinks can easily be made at home, based on personal taste and individual health conditions. Besides summer-heat-relief beverages, people can also prepare soups, vegetables, and other foods that help cool the body and prevent heatstroke.

Have a drink

Many young people are used to drinking coffee every day, and in summer, they switch to iced Americanos to stay refreshed and alert. But Cui Yongqiang, a professor of Integrative Medicine at Beijing Guang'an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, told the Global Times that people should actually cut back on coffee in the summer because it can cause dehydration. "The key in this season is to stay well-hydrated," he shared. To this end, Cui suggested drinking black plum beverages with a bit of added sugar.

One example is black plum and lotus plumule tea. The ingredients include black plum, also commonly known as sour plum and a small pinch of lotus plumules. This tea helps to relieve summer heat, generate saliva, quench thirst, and diminish inner body heat. Though lotus plumules are bitter, their cooling effect makes them ideal for a summer drink to be consumed especially after sweating.

Another black plum beverage can be made by using black plums, hawthorn, licorice, and dried tangerine peel. The ingredients are first washed and then placed into a bag. The bag is later placed in a pot of boiling water for 40 minutes with some rock sugar. Before serving, the bag is removed and osmanthus flowers are added.

Wu Chunxi, an expert on TCM from the Second People's Hospital of Jinzhong, North China's Shanxi Province, provided the recipe of a type of soup called American ginseng and crucian carp soup.

The preparation of this medicinal soup is quite simple: the crucian carp is cleaned thoroughly and placed in water along with American ginseng wrapped in cheesecloth. Seasonings such as green onion, ginger, and cooking wine are added and the soup is left to simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, salt can be added to taste.

This soup is particularly suitable for people with mild heatstroke symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, dry mouth, and excessive sweating and is an ideal remedy for summer fatigue.

Grab a bite

Drinking alone isn't enough—the dining table can also provide delicious foods that can help with heatstroke. Cui shared some suggestions, such as having cold bitter melon salad in the evening. Bitter melon is a seasonal summer ingredient said to have a cooling effect, to cleanse the liver, and improve eyesight.

Watermelon rind is also a great ingredient for cooling off in summer, according to Wu.

To prepare a watermelon rind one needs to first remove the hard green outer skin of the watermelon, slice it into pieces, and season it with salt and sesame oil.

TCM and Western medicine unite

"Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes balance. Nowadays, people tend to consume mostly cold foods and drinks during summer. However, ginger, which is warm in nature, can warm the stomach and neutralize the coldness in the body, helping to maintain internal balance," said Cui, adding that the health benefits of ginger are also well-known abroad.

A traditional Chinese saying, similar to the Western "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" says: "Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer; no need to ask the doctor for a prescription."

Eating ginger in moderation during the summer can support the spleen and stomach in driving out cold and dampness, and it can help blood flow. Western medicine research has also recently offered evidence of ginger's high nutritive value. For instance, a study published in the journal Cureus (a subsidiary of Nature) found that ginger can provide cardiovascular benefits by helping regulate blood lipids and blood pressure, as well as fighting inflammation and oxidative stress, as reported by Life Times.

Both TCM and Western medicine have reached a consensus on the benefits of eating more ginger. "Not only for heatstroke prevention, the wisdom and efficacy of TCM are worth learning from by other cultures," said Cui.

via: Global Times

Published: Jun 26, 2025 09:10 PM

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