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Herbs That Treat Dampness – bloated abdomen, edema, loose stool, water retention
Introduction to the pathology
- feeling of heaviness in the body
- bloated abdomen
- loose stool
- lack of appetite
- edema
- swelling
- cloudy head
- cloudy urine
- thick, greasy tongue coating
There are two causes that lead to the generation of “dampness”. The first cause is deficiency of Spleen Qi.
Note: In traditional Chinese medicine the Spleen is referred to as the collective work of some organs and systems participating in the digestion rather than the anatomical organ spleen. To get a better grasp about the concept of the Spleen you can review the introduction material “The Spleen in Chinese medicine” in the Physiology chapter.
The Spleen is responsible for the transformation and transportation of food essences but together with the Lung and the Kidney the Spleen also governs the body's water metabolism. It is in charge of the separation, transportation, and movement of fluids. If the energy of the Spleen is deficient it cannot sufficiently transport fluids. Eventually this will lead to fluid retention, called “internal dampness”. "Internal dampness" most commonly manifests in the three organs in charge of the water metabolism - the Spleen, the Lung, and the Kidney (in Chinese medicine the latter governs both the urinary and the reproductive system).
The other cause for generation of "dampness in the Spleen" is living in a damp environment.
Dampness is heavy and turbid in nature. Thus symptoms of "internal dampness" manifest in feeling of heaviness in the body, cloudy head and cloudy urine. As “dampness” is water retention a symptom of dampness is edema and swelling (1) Other symptoms include bloated abdomen, loose stools and lack of appetite (the major symptom of deficient Spleen). The pathology is confirmed by looking at the tongue. If the tongue has a thick and greasy coating than there is "internal dampness".
Dampness is leached out of the body through increasing the urination. Thus in general substances that treat dampness are diuretics.
Major Chinese herbs
Chinese medicine largely incorporates minerals in its pharmacology. A mineral used in the treatment of dampness is talcum. Hua Shi - “slippery rock” - absorbs dampness topically, and is used for “damp” skin lesions.
Two seeds used to treat internal dampness are Yi Yi Ren (Coix lachrima jobi) and Dong Gua Ren (Benisaca hispida). Yi Yi Ren known as "seeds of Job’s tears", promotes urination and stops diarrhea. It is also used for increasing joint mobility, for lung or intestinal abscesses and for the treatment of plantar warts. Dong Gua Ren - winter melon seed, promotes the discharge of pus and is beneficial for “damp-heat” vaginal discharge with thick/ unpleasant odor.
Zhu Ling (Polyporus umbellatus) is a mushroom that enters the Spleen, Kidney, Urinary Bladder channels and treats edema, urinary dysfunction, jaundice, and diarrhea.
Fu Ling (Poria cocos) – china-root – is a famous in Chinese medicine diuretic that besides leaching out dampness is also a Spleen tonic which benefits the digestion. Another major action of Fu Ling is calm the spirit through strengthening the Heart (according to TCM the Heart houses the mind). It is used for symptoms such as heart palpitations, insomnia, and mental restlessness.
Jin Qian Cao (Lysimachia christinae) – is an herb that treats stones in both the urinary and biliary tracts (3)
There is a story about a couple who lived happily in a small village in China. One day the man started complaining of sharp stabbing pain below his ribs and died couple of days later. The woman baffled by his sudden death insisted on having an autopsy. A stone was found in her husband’s gallbladder. The grieving woman put the stone on a string and wore it around her neck for years. One autumn she went to collect some plants in the mountain and she carried them back home. By the time she returned home the stone around her neck had shrunk in half. An herbalist heard about it and discovered that the woman had found herbs that treat stones in the Gall Bladder (4)
Yin Chen Hao (Artemisia capillaris) –clears obstruction from the Liver and Gall Bladder and is a main herb in the treatment of jaundice (whether it is caused by damp-heat or damp-cold accumulation).
Diuretic herbs that leach out dampness and also promote lactation are - Mu Tong (Akebia trifoliata), Tong Cao (Tetrapanax papyriferus), Dong Kui Zi (Malva verticillata).
Diuretic herbs that leach out dampness and also benefit skin problems due to damp-heat are - Di Fu Zi (Kochia scoparia) – used topically, Bian Xu (Polygonum aviculare) – also expels parasites, Bei Xie (Dioscorea hypoglauca) – for eczema and pustular sores.
Diuretic herbs that leach out dampness and affect the blood are – Qu Mai (Dianthus superbus), Chi Xiao Dou (Phaseolus calcaratus) – breaks blood stasis, Shi Wei (Pyrrosia lingua) – stops bleeding, Ban Bian Lian (Lobelia chinesis) – cools the blood, also used for poisonous snake bite and wasp stings.
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(1) Maciocia, Giovanni (1989). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. Nanjing: Harcourt Publishers Limited
(2) Pitchford, Paul (2002). Healing with Whole Foods. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books
(3) Benski, Dan & Gamble, Andrew (1993). Materia Medica, Revised Edition. Seatle: Eastland Press, Incorporated
(4) Lu, Henry (2005). Chinese Natural Cures. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
(5) Holmes, Peter (1998). The Energetics of Western Herbs. Boulder: Snow Lotus Press, Inc.
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