Warm Your Centre This Winter: Understanding Stomach Fire and Yang Deficiency in Chinese Medicine
As winter deepens and the air grows colder, you may notice subtle (or not so subtle) changes in how your body feels. Perhaps your hands and feet are always cold. Maybe your appetite isn’t quite right. You might feel foggy, sluggish, or experience digestive issues, joint pain, or even flare-ups of autoimmune conditions.
In Chinese medicine, all of this can point toward an imbalance in your body’s Yang energy; our internal warmth, activity, and life force.
Winter is the season when Yang naturally retreats. If your Yang is already on the weaker side, this seasonal change can make symptoms more noticeable. Let’s explore what this means, how it connects to Stomach Fire, and what you can do to support your body wisely this winter.
What is Yang Deficiency?
Yang represents warmth, movement, transformation. In the body, Yang powers everything from digestion to circulation, immunity to mental clarity. When Yang is deficient, it’s like a fire that’s struggling to stay lit.
Signs of Yang Deficiency:
- Cold hands, feet, and lower back
- Fatigue, especially in the mornings
- Loose stools or poor appetite
- Joint pain, especially when it’s cold or damp
- Brain fog, slow thinking
- Fluid retention or swelling
- Worsening of autoimmune symptoms in winter
One common type is Spleen Yang Deficiency, where the body struggles to transform food into energy, resulting in tiredness, bloating, and “dampness” (like mucous, puffiness, or sluggish digestion).
Stomach Fire and the Need for Balance
While Yang deficiency is a lack of internal warmth, Stomach Fire is the opposite—too much internal heat. Interestingly, both can coexist. You might feel cold most of the time, but still suffer from acid reflux or mouth ulcers after eating.
Balanced Stomach Fire is essential for good digestion:
- You feel satisfied after meals
- Your appetite is healthy—not ravenous or absent
- Your belly feels warm but not uncomfortable
- You have good energy and mental clarity
An imbalanced digestive fire—too weak or too strong—can throw off your entire system, especially in winter when the body is already under more strain.
How Autoimmune Conditions Relate
From a Chinese medicine view, Yang deficiency weakens the body’s protective Qi, making it less able to defend against “external invasions” like cold, damp, or wind. Over time, this can lead to internal blockages or misdirected defence responses. Many people with an autoimmune condition are Yang deficient.
We suspect that’s why joint pain, fatigue, and immune dysregulation often flare up in winter. It’s not just the weather, it’s how our internal balance responds to it.
A note on joints: in Chinese Medicine joints are regarded as a more exterior part of the body, in the way they are distant from the Blood and lymph circulation systems. When lacking enough Yang, or physiological reserve, to drive a pathogen out of the body, the joints cans serve as convenient storage to keep the rest of the body protected.
Tips to Support Yang and Digestive Fire This Winter
🥬 Begin with a Warming Appetiser
Lightly cooked seasonal greens—like blanched wombok, sautéed spinach, or steamed choy sum, are gentle on the digestion and help warm the Stomach. Add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a dash of aged vinegar to stimulate appetite and support transformation of food into Qi.
🥣 Eat Cooked, Warm Meals
Soups, congee, slow-cooked stews, and gently spiced dishes (with ginger, cinnamon, garlic) support Yang without overwhelming the system. Avoid cold smoothies, raw salads, or iced drinks, especially in the morning.
☕ Reduce Cold and Damp Foods
Too many dairy products, refined sugar, or greasy takeaways can weigh down the Spleen and further damage Yang. Coffee can overstimulate Stomach Fire, especially when consumed on an empty stomach. Choose warming herbal teas like roasted barley, cinnamon twig, or ginger-based blends. Have coffee mid morning, after breakfast.
🧘♀️ Move Gently and Warm the Joints
Joint pain worsens with cold and damp. Gentle stretching, tai chi, walking, or qi gong help keep Qi flowing and warm the meridians. Keep knees, lower back, and neck warm when going outside.
🛌 Rest Deeply, Especially Before Midnight
The time before midnight is when Yang retreats inward to recharge. Early nights help nourish this energy. Try not to stay up late, especially on cold nights.
☀️ Seek Morning Sunlight
A brief sunbath in the morning—face and upper back exposed if possible—stimulates Yang and lifts the mood, helping to balance the seasonal increase in Yin.
Warming Vegetable Appetiser Recipe
This dish supports digestion and nourishes Yang gently.
Ingredients:
- A handful of seasonal greens (e.g. silverbeet, bok choy, spinach)
- 1 tsp aged vinegar (rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp cold-pressed sesame oil
- Optional: Toasted sesame seeds or a few goji berries for garnish
Method:
- Lightly steam or blanch greens until just tender.
- Drain and place in a small dish.
- Drizzle with vinegar and oil.
- Eat warm, before your main meal to prepare the digestive system.
Final Thoughts
Supporting your Yang energy and maintaining balanced digestive Fire isn’t just about feeling warm, it’s about keeping your whole system resilient through the challenges of winter. With small daily habits, seasonal foods, mindful movement and conscious rest, you can nourish your centre and feel steadier, clearer, and more grounded.
If you’re experiencing persistent coldness, fatigue, or digestive discomfort, a Chinese medicine consultation can help clarify your pattern and guide you to balance. Whether through herbs, acupuncture, or personalised lifestyle advice.
Calm the body, build and protect your internal fire. That’s what winter in Chinese medicine is all about.
Sources:
Lectures by Anne Cecil-Sterman.
The Foundations of Chinese Medicine by Giovanni Maciocia.
Welcoming Food 1 & 2 , by Andrew Sterman.