Dampness

Dampness comes from the failure to burn off or transform moisture in the body. It is nearly always associated with a weak Spleen, often with a weak Kidney and sometimes with a weak Lung. Dampness can lodge in a specific part of the body or affect us more generally. As the word suggests, Dampness can make us feel heavy and tired. It can make us swell up and it can obstruct our body's functioning.

Some people are more prone to Dampness than others. A tendency towards Dampness can be aggravated by living in damp conditions or by a sedentary lifestyle. It needs the transformative power of the body's Yang to stop it accumulating. Eating in ways which inhibit our Spleen function or which injure the Yang will increase our tendency towards Dampness.

Dampness may also be caused by pathogens lodged in the body which have not been properly expelled or by the use of suppressant drugs.

Generalized condition of Dampness associated with weakness of the Spleen. It may manifest in such ways as tiredness/ache in the limbs, digestive weakness or muzzy head. How it manifests depends on our individual constitution.

Water

This describes a condition of edema where Dampness is retained as water. This may be specific or general in location. It causes us to swell, to become waterlogged.

Phlegm

This describes a more sticky manifestation of Dampness. It often lodges in particular organs and combines easily with Heat or Cold. Phlegm, or Mucus, congeals and obstructs our functioning. 

Resolving Dampness Through Food

All Dampness is treated by strengthening the Spleen and may also need tonification of the Kidney, the Lung and the Yang. Phlegm demands the reduction of Phlegm-forming foods and the use of Phlegm-resolving foods. Water is helped by Water-removing (diuretic) foods.

Dampness is often the result of overeating or overnutrition. It may also result from jamming the digestive system with poorly combined foods. All the advice on supporting the Spleen earlier in this booklet is important in avoiding the overaccumulation of Dampness.

In particular we need to avoid too much raw, cold, sweet or rich food and the overconsumption of fluid. Some foods are particularly dampening. They are as follows:

Dairy products (sheep and goat products are less dampening), Pork and rich meat, Roasted Peanuts, Concentrated juices especially Orange and Tomato, Wheat, Bread, Yeast, Beer, Bananas, Sugar and sweeteners, Saturated fats

Some foods, on the other hand, have properties which help to resolve Dampness. They are as follows:

Food which resolve Dampness 

 Food which drain Water