What to drink in summer to stay cool and quench thirst
Generally, during summer it is common to consume beverages such as mung bean soup, plum juice, watermelon juice, lemon water, and winter melon soup to relieve heat and quench thirst. Additionally, certain medications such as honeysuckle dew, Huoxiang Zhengqi Water, Qingliang Fangshu Granules, Shidi Shui, and Compound Honeysuckle Granules can also be used. Here is a detailed explanation:
I. Foods
1. Mung Bean Soup: Made by boiling mung beans, it contains abundant water and minerals, helping to replenish fluids and electrolytes lost through sweating. It has the effects of clearing heat, relieving summer heat, promoting body fluid production, and quenching thirst, making it suitable for consumption in summer.
2. Plum Juice: Made by boiling ingredients such as black plums and hawthorn, it has a sweet and sour taste that stimulates saliva production, alleviates thirst, and promotes digestion, helping to relieve discomfort caused by summer heat. Chilled plum juice is even more effective.
3. Watermelon Juice: Extracted from watermelons, it has a high water content and is rich in glucose and vitamins, quickly replenishing fluids and energy. It has a cooling effect, alleviates heat and thirst, and serves as a natural summer beverage.
4. Lemon Water: Made by steeping lemon slices in water, it contains vitamin C and citric acid, which promote metabolism and stimulate salivation to quench thirst. Adding a small amount of honey enhances the taste, making it ideal for summer consumption.
5. Winter Melon Soup: Prepared primarily from winter melon, which has high water content and a cooling nature, it clears heat, promotes diuresis, and stimulates fluid production to quench thirst. Its mild flavor makes it suitable for summer consumption to relieve heat-induced thirst.
II. Medications
1. Honeysuckle Dew: Distilled from honeysuckle flowers, it clears heat, detoxifies, and relieves summer heat. It can alleviate symptoms such as heat-induced thirst and sore throat and is commonly consumed directly as a summer beverage.
2. Huoxiang Zhengqi Water: Contains ingredients such as Atractylodes, tangerine peel, and magnolia bark. It resolves exterior syndromes, eliminates dampness, regulates qi, and harmonizes the middle jiao. It treats summerheat-dampness or colds caused by external wind-cold and internal injury from dampness, relieving symptoms like dizziness and thirst caused by summer heat.
3. Qingliang Fangshu Granules: Composed of ingredients such as Imperata root,淡竹叶 (Lophatherum gracile), and grass weeds. It clears heat, relieves summerheat, promotes diuresis, and stimulates fluid production. It is used to treat symptoms such as dizziness, thirst, and difficult urination caused by summerheat and is taken by dissolving in hot water.
4. Shidi Shui: Composed of ingredients such as camphor, dried ginger, and rhubarb. It strengthens the stomach, relieves summerheat, and is used to treat dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal discomfort caused by heatstroke. It can be taken orally directly to alleviate discomfort caused by summerheat.
5. Compound Honeysuckle Granules: Contains honeysuckle, forsythia, and Scutellaria baicalensis, among others. It clears heat, detoxifies, cools the blood, and reduces swelling. It is used to treat wind-heat colds, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis. Dissolved in hot water, it can relieve discomfort caused by summerheat and has a mild thirst-quenching effect.
In summer, homemade food-based beverages can be consumed regularly to replenish fluids and provide nutrition. Medicinal beverages should be used according to individual conditions and under the guidance of a physician to avoid indiscriminate consumption. Additionally, during summer, one should avoid prolonged exposure to high temperatures, take sun protection measures when going outdoors, drink beverages in small amounts frequently, and avoid consuming large amounts of chilled beverages at once to prevent gastrointestinal discomfort. If severe heatstroke symptoms occur, seek medical attention promptly.
