How does Traditional Chinese Medicine treat dampness and heat in the body?

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, when dampness invades the upper part of the body, it will cause phlegm that is difficult to cough up or excessive phlegm in the morning. Dampness belongs to Yin and heat belongs to Yang. Yin and Yang themselves are a pair of contradictions. When cold and heat coexist, a damp-heat constitution will occur. In hot and humid weather, these people will also feel sticky all over.

People with dampness in their bodies who suffer from long-term attacks of dampness and heat will experience symptoms such as fatigue, unwillingness to move, excessive oiliness on the face, easily dirty hair, and greasy tongue coating. There are also many people who have bad breath when they wake up in the morning, do not want to eat or feel bloated after eating, have loose and sticky stools, and have difficulty passing stools. In addition, if female friends have acne on their faces, increased and yellow vaginal discharge, etc., they may also be affected by damp heat.

People aged 30 to 45 have more dampness.

People of all ages may be attacked by dampness and heat, especially those aged 30 to 45, which belongs to the "earth" age group in life. They have heavier moisture in their bodies. The turn of summer and autumn is the "long summer" season as described in traditional Chinese medicine, which also corresponds to the "earth" in the five elements. The combination of inside and outside, dampness on top of dampness, makes the above symptoms more likely to occur.

If damp heat invades children, the most common symptoms are diarrhea and constipation. If damp heat invades the elderly, symptoms such as soreness in the lower limbs and back pain may occur. Children or people with long-term weak spleen and stomach, such as those who do not want to eat, feel weak all over, or feel full in the stomach after a meal, bloating, diarrhea, etc., can use fried yam and fried chicken gizzard lining, mix them into powder in a 1:1 ratio, and drink one spoonful a day to relieve symptoms.

Diet adjustment, eat more aromatic food

In hot and humid weather, what should people with hot and humid constitution pay attention to in their diet? And how should they regulate themselves? Experts have introduced some practical tips, you may want to try them.

Vegetables: Eat more aromatic vegetables such as coriander, schizonepeta, patchouli, etc., but these vegetables are also damp and you cannot eat too much. You can eat these vegetables as side dishes to remove moisture. There are also soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, winter melon, papaya, and yam. These vegetables can be eaten as main dishes and have a dehumidifying effect.

Tea: Mugwort leaves and perilla leaves, which are warm in nature, can remove dampness, while bamboo leaves and lotus leaves, which are cool in nature, can clear away heat. Drinking tea every day can help clear dampness and heat from the body.

Seasoning: Spices such as ginger, fennel, and cinnamon have the effects of dispelling cold, removing dampness, and sweating. Adding a proper amount of them when cooking every day can have the effect of warming the middle and removing dampness.

Porridge: Porridge is also a good choice in hot and humid seasons. Add appropriate amounts of Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, millet and rice, cook them into porridge and drink it every day to strengthen the spleen, remove dampness and nourish the stomach.

Soup: Boil appropriate amounts of winter melon, red beans and pork ribs into soup to clear away heat and dampness.

Eat less greasy and sweet foods to prevent dampness and heat

People with damp-heat constitution should not overeat, drink too much, eat less greasy food and sweets in addition to adjusting their diet to maintain good digestive function. Drink water in moderation to avoid water retention or moisture entering the body from outside. You should go to bed early and get up early, ventilate the room frequently, avoid air conditioning if possible, and develop the habit of defecating on time. Get up early and exercise until you sweat. Sweating can help remove moisture, but don't sweat too much so as not to damage your qi.

If there are only mild symptoms of dampness and heat in the body, the above treatment will help. If the symptoms are severe and the treatment is ineffective, it is best to seek treatment from a Chinese medicine doctor before treatment.