Late Summer & the Spleen: Nourish Your Beauty, Energy & Vitality
There is a moment every August when summer begins to feel different. The sun is still warm. The gardens are overflowing. The peaches are perfect. We're still eating outside and squeezing every last drop out of those long evenings. But something has shifted. The mornings are cooler. The light has softened. The sun disappears a little earlier each night. Nature is still abundant—but she's no longer expanding. She's beginning to gather.
Welcome to Late Summer.
In Chinese Medicine, this little season deserves far more attention than we give it. Late Summer belongs to the Earth element and, most importantly, the Spleen and Stomach. If you've spent any time in my treatment room, you already know how I feel about the Spleen. I could talk about her all day. Because if you want steady energy, comfortable digestion, strong muscles, clearer thinking, healthy aging, glowing skin and a body that actually knows how to use the beautiful food you're feeding it... we need to talk about your Spleen.
First: What Exactly Is Late Summer?
Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes five seasons rather than four:
Spring — Wood
Summer — Fire
Late Summer — Earth
Autumn — Metal
Winter — Water
Late Summer is the transition between the expansive yang energy of summer and the more inward movement of autumn. Think about what's happening outside right now. The frantic growth of spring has passed. The height of summer has passed. Now the gardens are heavy. Fruit is ripe. Fields are golden. We're harvesting what has been growing all year. Nature is essentially saying: Take this. Nourish yourself. You're going to need it later.
And our bodies are being asked to do the same thing. Summer was about expansion. Late Summer is about receiving, transforming and storing nourishment. Which happens to be exactly what the Spleen does.
Meet Your Spleen
Let's clear something up first. When I talk about the Spleen in Chinese Medicine, I'm not talking exclusively about the anatomical spleen sitting under your left rib cage. Western medicine recognizes the spleen primarily for its roles in blood filtration and immune function. When Chinese Medicine talks about the Spleen, we're describing an entire functional system. And one of its most important jobs is something called:
Transformation & Transportation.
In very simple terms: You eat food. Your Spleen and Stomach transform that food into usable nourishment and distribute it throughout the body. From this nourishment, your body produces the Qi and Blood required to function. Which means the goal isn't simply: "Am I eating healthy food?" A better question is: "Can my body actually use the nourishment I'm giving it?" That's a very different conversation.
Your Body's Kitchen
I often describe the Spleen as your body's kitchen. Imagine putting beautiful ingredients into a kitchen where the stove barely works. You can buy organic vegetables. Grass-fed meat. Expensive supplements. Protein powders. Superfoods. Collagen. All the things. But if the kitchen can't properly cook and transform those ingredients, you're still not getting the meal you hoped for. Chinese Medicine looks at digestion similarly.
This is why someone can seemingly eat "perfectly" and still experience:
Bloating after meals
Loose or inconsistent stools
Constipation
Fatigue after eating
Brain fog
Sugar cravings
Poor appetite
Heaviness
Puffiness
Fluid retention
Feeling cold
Weakness
Difficulty building muscle
A tendency to worry or overthink
Rather than immediately blaming another food, sometimes we need to ask: How can we make the kitchen stronger?
What Does the Spleen Have to Do With Beauty?
Everything.
This is one of my favorite conversations. Beauty in Chinese Medicine isn't something we apply to the surface. It's an outward reflection of what's happening internally. Your skin, hair, eyes, lips, muscle tone and complexion all require nourishment. And that nourishment has to come from somewhere. Food becomes nourishment. Nourishment supports Qi and Blood. Qi and Blood nourish your tissues. Your Spleen sits right in the middle of that process.
The Spleen & Your Glow
Chinese Medicine says the Spleen "opens into the mouth and manifests in the lips." Healthy Spleen function is traditionally associated with lips that are nourished and naturally colored. More broadly, when digestion is working well and we're producing adequate Qi and Blood, the complexion tends to look more vibrant. This is why my approach to facial rejuvenation has never been only about the face. We can stimulate collagen. We can improve circulation. We can work on facial tension. Those things are wonderful. But we also have to give the body the raw materials to rebuild. You cannot out-serum poor nourishment.
The Spleen & Muscle
Here's another piece I think women should hear more often. In Chinese Medicine, the Spleen is associated with the flesh and muscles. And I love this connection. Because maintaining muscle is one of the most powerful things we can do as we age! Muscle supports strength, metabolic health, bone health, independence, confidence and resilience.
And aesthetically? Muscle gives the body shape. But building muscle requires nourishment. Protein matters. Training matters. Recovery matters. And from the TCM perspective, your ability to transform that nourishment matters too. My own health changed dramatically when I stopped trying to force my body into submission and started strengthening the foundation first. I nourished. Then I built.
The Spleen & Puffiness
The Spleen also plays an important role in the body's handling of fluids in Chinese Medicine. When its transforming and transporting function becomes sluggish, we may see what TCM calls Dampness. Think: puffiness, heaviness, swelling, brain fog, sticky stools, a heavy feeling after eating, a thick or greasy tongue coating, that feeling of waking up and just feeling... puffy. This is one reason I care so much about supporting digestion when someone comes to me wanting to work on their skin or facial puffiness. Sometimes the face isn't the problem. It's simply where the problem is showing itself.
The Emotional Side of the Spleen
Every organ system in Chinese Medicine has an emotional relationship. For the Spleen, it's Yi—thought, intention and contemplation. A healthy Earth element allows us to think clearly, concentrate and digest ideas. But when this becomes excessive? We worry. Ruminate. Replay conversations. Make lists about our lists. Think about what we're going to make for dinner while eating breakfast. Sound familiar?
There's a reason digestion often changes during stressful periods. Chinese Medicine has never separated the mind from the body. We don't just digest food. We digest life. Late Summer is therefore not only an invitation to nourish your body. It's an invitation to simplify what your mind is being asked to carry.
How to Support Your Spleen This Late Summer
This doesn't require a cabinet full of supplements. The Spleen LOVES consistency. And honestly, some of the least glamorous practices are often the most powerful.
1. Eat More Cooked Food
Your Spleen likes warmth. Think of that kitchen analogy again. If your digestive fire is already struggling, continually dumping freezing-cold food into the pot means your body has more work to do before digestion can even begin. You don't have to eat stew in August. Simply shift the balance. Instead of an enormous raw salad, try roasted vegetables over warm quinoa. Instead of frozen fruit straight from the freezer, lightly stew peaches or berries. Instead of an icy smoothie every morning, try eggs, oatmeal, cream of rice or warm sourdough. You can still eat cooling seasonal foods. Just don't make cold and raw the foundation of every meal if your digestion is struggling.
2. Eat Regularly
Your body loves rhythm. If breakfast happens at 7 one morning, noon the next day, and not at all the day after that, digestion is constantly adapting. You don't need military precision. But creating some consistency around meals can be incredibly supportive. Your body begins to anticipate nourishment.
3. Stop Eating While Distracted
This might be one of the most underrated digestive practices. Put your phone down. Close your laptop. Sit. Take a breath. Look at your food. Chew it. Enjoy it. Your body digests differently when you're relaxed than when you're answering emails between bites. You don't need a perfect nervous system to digest dinner. But giving yourself ten peaceful minutes certainly doesn't hurt.
4. Prioritize Protein
If we're talking about beauty, energy, muscle and longevity, we have to talk about protein. Your body needs amino acids to build and repair tissue.
Skin. Hair. Muscle. Enzymes. Hormones.
Protein is not just "gym food." It's building material. Personally, hitting my protein goal consistently has become one of my non-negotiables. Not because I'm trying to eat perfectly. But I notice how much better I feel when my body is adequately fuelled.
5. Don't Forget Fibre
Protein gets all the attention right now, but fibre deserves a seat at the table. Vegetables. Beans and lentils if you tolerate them. Fruit. Whole grains. Seeds.
Fibre supports regular bowel movements and feeds our gut microbes. The goal isn't simply eating more of it overnight. If you're currently eating very little fibre, increase gradually and drink enough fluid alongside it.
6. Embrace Naturally Sweet Foods
Sweet is the flavor associated with the Spleen. Before you get excited, Chinese Medicine isn't prescribing a nightly bag of candy. We're talking about the gentle, natural sweetness of Earth foods:
Sweet potato. Squash. Carrots. Peaches. Apples. Oats. Rice. Dates. Root vegetables.
These foods are grounding and nourishing—the exact energy of Late Summer.
7. Be Mindful of Excess Damp-Producing Foods
In TCM theory, excessive amounts of greasy, very rich, highly processed or sugary foods can contribute to Dampness, particularly when someone's digestion is already struggling. This isn't about creating another list of forbidden foods. Please don't do that. It's about noticing patterns.
How do you feel after eating? Light and nourished? Or heavy, bloated and ready for a nap?
8. Warm Your Digestion
Some of my favourite Late Summer additions are incredibly simple:
Fresh ginger. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Fennel. Orange peel. Broths. Warm herbal teas.
These aren't dramatic interventions. They're gentle nudges. And Chinese Medicine is very good at gentle nudges.
9. Support Your Spleen With Herbs
Herbal medicine is one of my favorite ways to support digestion, but this is where individualization matters. Two people can both experience bloating and need completely different herbal approaches. One may need warming. Another may have Heat. One may be deficient. Another may have significant Dampness or stagnation. This is why I don't love blindly recommending a "Spleen supplement" to everyone. Herbs work beautifully when they're matched to the person.
10. Acupuncture + Moxa
Acupuncture can be used to support digestive function, regulate the nervous system and address the underlying TCM pattern contributing to symptoms. And then there's one of my favorites: Moxa.
Moxibustion uses dried mugwort to gently warm specific acupuncture points. For the appropriate person, it's like adding a little extra heat underneath that digestive cooking pot. Warmth. Circulation. Support. If you've been in my clinic lately, you've probably experienced it. And probably left smelling slightly like a campfire. Occupational hazard. 😉
My Late Summer Beauty Prescription
If I wanted to use the next few weeks specifically to support glowing skin, energy and healthy aging, I wouldn't make it complicated.
I'd focus on:
A warm, protein-rich breakfast.
Enough food.
Enough fibre.
Mostly cooked meals.
Daily movement.
Strength training.
Morning sunshine.
Consistent sleep.
Warm or room-temperature fluids.
Herbal infusions.
Eating without my phone.
More laughter.
Less overthinking.
It's not particularly sexy. There isn't a $200 supplement involved. But that's sort of the point.
A Simple Late Summer Day
If you're wondering what this actually looks like in real life:
Morning
Wake with the sun when possible.
Get outside for a short walk.
Drink room-temperature or warm water.
Eat something substantial—eggs and sourdough, oatmeal or cream of rice with stewed frutis, or another warm breakfast with adequate protein.
Midday
This is a beautiful time for your largest or most nourishing meal.
Protein + cooked vegetables + rice, quinoa, potatoes or another carbohydrate your body handles well.
Sit down to eat it.
Afternoon
Instead of automatically reaching for another coffee when the afternoon slump hits, get outside for ten minutes.
And if you're regularly exhausted after lunch, don't just normalize it.
Pay attention.
Evening
Keep dinner satisfying but uncomplicated.
Take a walk after supper.
Let your nervous system come down with the sun.
Tea. Bath. Book. Conversation. Earlier bedtime.
Simple rhythms repeated consistently are profoundly powerful.
The Part We Forget
The Spleen belongs to Earth for a reason. Earth is our centre. It's what holds us. Feeds us. Grounds us. And gives us something solid to return to when life gets chaotic. Late Summer isn't asking you to reinvent yourself. It's asking you to come back to your centre.
Eat well. Sleep. Walk. Cook. Strengthen your body. Spend time with people who nourish you. Let yourself receive the abundance that's here.
Because the goal isn't to become someone who follows wellness perfectly. The wellness industry will always have another supplement, protocol, diet or morning routine to sell us. Your body is asking for something much simpler. Learn its rhythm. Understand what it needs. Give it nourishment when it asks. Adjust when life changes. And build enough resilience that your health becomes the thing that allows you to participate fully in your life—not another thing that consumes it. That, to me, is vitality.
And perhaps that's the greatest lesson of Late Summer: Before nature asks us to let go, she feeds us. So let yourself be fed.
