What foods help remove dampness?
Aug 08, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
Foods that help remove dampness generally include red beans, coix seed, winter melon, poria, ginger, and others. If any abnormalities occur, prompt medical attention is recommended. Red beans have a sweet taste and neutral property, and can strengthen the spleen to resolve dampness, nourish the blood, and improve complexion. They can be consumed as porridge or soup. For body heaviness and leg edema caused by excessive dampness, moderate consumption of red beans can help promote the elimination of dampness and supplement nutrition, making them suitable for daily regulation.
Common foods that help remove dampness generally include red beans, coix seed, winter melon, poria, ginger, etc. If any abnormalities occur, timely medical consultation is recommended. Detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Red beans: Sweet in taste with a neutral nature, they can strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness, nourish the blood and improve complexion. They can be cooked into porridge or soup. For body heaviness and leg edema caused by excessive dampness, moderate consumption of red beans helps promote the elimination of water and dampness while providing nutrition, suitable for daily regulation.
2. Coix seed: Sweet in taste with a cool nature, it has functions of promoting diuresis and removing dampness, strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea. It should be stir-fried before use to reduce its cold nature. Frequently used in porridges or combined with other ingredients, it can improve thick greasy tongue coating and sticky bowel movements caused by excessive dampness, helping to regulate the body's condition.
3. Winter melon: Sweet and bland in taste with a cool nature, it can clear heat, promote diuresis, reduce swelling, and detoxify. It can be stir-fried or cooked into soup. Its water and fiber content help promote metabolism, providing some relief for edema and difficult urination caused by damp-heat. It is a common ingredient for removing dampness during summer.
4. Poria: Sweet and bland in taste with a neutral nature, it can strengthen the spleen, drain dampness, calm the mind, and soothe nerves. It is often added to porridges or soups as an ingredient. For abdominal distension and poor appetite caused by spleen deficiency and excessive dampness, moderate consumption of poria can enhance the spleen and stomach's transformation and transportation functions, reducing accumulation of dampness in the body.
5. Ginger: Pungent in taste with a warm nature, it can warm the middle jiao, stop vomiting, dispel cold, and remove dampness. It can be used as a seasoning or boiled in water. For cold and dampness-induced chills, abdominal pain, and white greasy tongue coating, moderate consumption of ginger can warm the spleen and stomach, helping to expel internal cold and dampness, suitable for individuals with a cold constitution.
When consuming these foods, adjustments should be made according to individual body constitutions. For example, individuals with cold constitutions should reduce intake of cooling foods. At the same time, avoid excessive consumption of any single food item and maintain a diverse diet.
