What Are the 8 Foods That Help Remove Dampness?
Aug 18, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
Commonly recommended foods for removing dampness include Job's tears (Coix seed), red adzuki beans, winter melon, Poria (Poria cocos), and lotus leaves. Job's tears is cool in nature and sweet in taste, and has functions of promoting diuresis, reducing edema, strengthening the spleen, and eliminating dampness. It contains various nutrients that can enhance water metabolism in the body and help expel dampness. It is suitable for consumption as porridge or soup; however, individuals with cold-deficiency body constitution should consume it in moderation.
Generally speaking, there is no specific list of eight foods that remove dampness. Common foods that help eliminate dampness include coix seed, red adzuki bean, winter melon, poria, and lotus leaf. Detailed explanations are as follows:
1. Coix Seed: It has a cool nature and a sweet taste, and can promote diuresis to reduce edema, strengthen the spleen, and remove dampness. It contains various nutrients that can promote water metabolism in the body and help expel dampness. It is suitable for cooking as porridge or in soups, although individuals with cold-deficient body constitution should consume it in moderation.
2. Red Adzuki Bean: It has a neutral nature and a sweet-sour taste, and functions to strengthen the spleen and drain dampness, clear heat, and detoxify. It enhances the spleen's transformation and transportation functions, accelerating the elimination of dampness. It is often cooked with coix seed to make porridge or boiled alone for drinking. It can help alleviate edema caused by dampness accumulation.
3. Winter Melon: It has a cool nature and a sweet taste, and can clear heat, promote diuresis, reduce swelling, and detoxify. Its dietary fiber promotes intestinal motility, and its high water content increases urine output, helping to expel dampness from the body. It is suitable for stir-frying, making soups, or cold mixing.
4. Poria: It has a neutral nature and a bland-sweet taste, and can strengthen the spleen to drain dampness and calm the mind. As a food and herb used in both medicinal and dietary contexts, it enhances spleen function and promotes dampness transformation. It is commonly used in porridges, soups, or processed into poria powder for consumption, suitable for those with spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation.
5. Lotus Leaf: It has a slightly cold nature and a bitter-astringent taste, and functions to clear summerheat, transform dampness, and raise yang energy. It promotes dampness metabolism in the body and assists in lowering lipids. It is suitable for making tea or cooking porridge, especially beneficial during summer to relieve discomfort caused by summerheat-dampness.
When consuming these foods to remove dampness in daily life, adjust the intake according to your own body constitution to avoid excessive consumption of cold-natured foods that may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Additionally, combine with physical activities such as walking or yoga to promote sweating and enhance the effectiveness of dampness removal.
