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You are here: Home / Chinese Medicine / Optimal Treatment Dates According to the Cycle of Seasonal Nodes

Optimal Treatment Dates According to the Cycle of Seasonal Nodes

February 18, 2023 in Filed Under: Chinese Medicine by Robert Keller

The cycle of seasonal nodes is one of the easiest to understand and accessible systems of Chinese Cosmology.

This cycle is relatively consistent with regard to the Western calendrical dates on which they occur, varying only one day in either direction each year. They are tied to the astrological constants of solstices and equinoxes.

According to this system, it is appropriate and healthful to receive acupuncture and take Chinese herbs some time during the first node of each season (during or around the first two weeks of each seasonal change).

In the cycle of seasonal nodes, there are 24 cycles of 15 days, each of which correlates with repetitive, observable, and predictable atmospheric and environmental changes. Different from how seasonal changes are marked in the West, the Chinese calendar marks the beginnings of seasons six weeks before the solstices and equinoxes. The Chinese calendar marks the beginning of the season, while the Western calendar marks the mid-point. In addition, Chinese cosmology also recognizes a fifth season known as “late summer,” and connects this to the Earth element. Chinese medicine also considers Earth as a transition phase occurring at the last eighteen days of each season.

The dates for these cycles are listed below. I have colored the nodes that mark the beginning of the seasons in Chinese cosmology according to their five element correspondences. The elements and related colors are listed below the cycles.

Spring Begins         February 4     
Rain Water                  February 19
Awakening of Insects March 6
Spring Equinox           March 21
Clear and Bright          April 5
Grain Rain                   April 20
Summer Begins     May 6
Minor Fullness            May 21
Bearded grain              June 6
Summer Solstice         June 21
Minor Heat                  July 7
Major Heat               July 23
Autumn Begins       August 8
End of Heat                  August 23
White Dew                    September 8
Autumn Equinox        September 23
Cold Dew                      October 8
Hoarfrost Descends    October 23
Winter Begins        November 8   
Minor Snow                November 2
Major Snow                December 7
Winter Solstice           December 22
Minor Cold                  January 6
Major Cold                  January 20

Acupuncture and Herbal Treatment Dates

The dates that follow mark the beginning of the seasons in Chinese medicine, and for the two-week period that follows it is helpful to receive acupuncture and Chinese herbs to aid the body’s transition at a time when sickness often arises. Green Bird, Red Horse, Yellow Monkey, White Ox and Blue Fish are Chinese herbal formulas designed to support the body during seasonal transitions. They are available from my office and through Stems and Branches Herbal Pharmacy.

Spring                   February 4 – Green Bird (wood – Liver and Gall Bladder)
Summer                May 6 – Red Horse (fire – Heart and Small Intestine)
Late Summer      July 23 – Yellow Monkey (earth – Spleen and Stomach)
Fall                          August 8 – White Ox (metal – Lung and Large Intestine)
Winter                   November 8 – Blue Fish (water – Kidney and Bladder)

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