Top Ten Chinese Herbal Medicines for Removing Dampness

Although dietary therapy can have a certain effect in removing dampness, the process is slow after all. Even after resuming unhealthy eating habits, a large amount of dampness will still accumulate in the body. If there is too much moisture in the body and it is difficult to remove it, then choosing some Chinese herbal medicines or Chinese patent medicines can help the body remove moisture faster. Below I would like to recommend some Chinese patent medicines for removing dampness.

Anti-dampness drugs are suitable for those whose dampness is lurking in the skin, tendons and bones. Symptoms include soreness and pain in limb joints, which is aggravated on rainy days.

Dampness often brings with it cold or wind to invade the skin, tendons and bones, or accumulates for a long time and turns into heat, often becoming a lingering chronic disease that is not easy to resolve quickly. It must be treated according to the different evil spirits it carries. Therefore, anti-dampness drugs can be divided into the following three categories:

Dampness-removing and wind-cold-dispelling medicine

Angelica dahurica, Clematis chinensis, white flower snake, tiger bone, silkworm sand, Cynanchum wilfordii, Acanthopanax acanthopanax, black-necked snake, Piper mesenteriae, Millennium angelica, turpentine, etc. It is mostly suitable for rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia, etc. caused by wind, cold and dampness invading the tendons and bones. Symptoms include pain in limb joints, local aversion to wind and cold, pain relieved by heat, white and slippery tongue coating, and deep and slow pulse.

Heat-clearing and rheumatism-relieving drugs

Stephania tetrandra, Gentiana macrophylla, Achyranthes bidentata, Clerodendrum foetida, Trachelospermum officinale, Viscum album, Pittosporum tobira bark, and Rhizoma Cynomorii, etc. It is suitable for rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. caused by internal accumulation of damp heat. Symptoms include red, swollen, hot and painful joints, fever, thirst without desire to drink, yellow urine, red tongue with thin yellow coating, and weak and rapid pulse.

It is suitable for cases where dampness stagnates in the lower part of the body and causes urinary retention, edema, etc. Ancient sages said, "Treating dampness without promoting urination is not the right treatment." This medicine can clear dampness and turbidity through urination. It can be divided into two categories according to whether the patient has heat or not:

Mild penetrating and diuretic drugs

Poria, Poria peel, Polyporus umbellatus, Juncus wicker, Coix seed, etc. It is suitable for chronic nephritis, ascites due to cirrhosis, etc. caused by dampness and turbidity blocking the bladder or overflowing onto the skin. It is characterized by difficulty urinating, edema or ascites, or diarrhea and loss of appetite, a greasy white tongue coating, and a deep and slow pulse.

Heat-clearing and dampness-removing drugs

Alisma orientalis, Plantago seed, Talcum, Akebia, Smilax glabra, Centella asiatica, Lycopodiella ciliata, Glehnia littoralis, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Capillaris, Kochia scoparia, wax gourd peel, bottle gourd, adzuki bean, Lacquercetin, Polygonum multiflorum, Dianthus superbus, and Malva ovata seed, etc. It is suitable for acute nephritis caused by damp heat accumulation in the lower abdomen, acute and chronic hepatitis, early cirrhosis, etc. It is characterized by jaundice or edema, accompanied by difficulty urinating or yellow or red urine, dry and hard stools, yellow and greasy tongue coating, and slippery and rapid pulse.