How to treat damp-heat in the spleen and stomach
Aug 27, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
The treatment for spleen-stomach dampness-heat syndrome generally involves adjusting dietary habits, maintaining a regular作息 (routine), adhering to mild dietary therapies, improving eating behaviors, and selecting appropriate Chinese patent medicines that strengthen the spleen and resolve dampness. If symptoms persist, prompt medical consultation is recommended. It is advisable to reduce consumption of spicy, greasy, and sweet foods, as these can exacerbate the accumulation of dampness-heat in the spleen and stomach. Instead, opt for ingredients that strengthen the spleen and promote dampness elimination, such as Chinese yam (Shanyao), Poria (Fuling), coix seed (Yimi), and winter melon (Donggua).
The treatment of spleen-stomach dampness-heat syndrome generally involves adjusting the diet, maintaining regular作息 habits, adhering to mild dietary therapy, improving eating habits, and selecting appropriate Chinese patent medicines for strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness. If abnormalities occur, timely medical consultation is recommended. Detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Adjust diet: Reduce intake of spicy, greasy, and overly sweet foods, as these can exacerbate accumulation of dampness-heat in the spleen and stomach. Opt more often for ingredients that strengthen the spleen and drain dampness, such as Chinese yam, Poria (Fuling), coix seed, and wax gourd (winter melon). Cooking methods should mainly include steaming, boiling, and light stir-frying, using minimal oil and salt.
2. Maintain regular作息 habits: Develop habits of going to bed early and waking up early, avoid staying up late, and ensure 7-8 hours of sleep daily. Long-term late nights can disrupt the spleen and stomach's transformation and transportation functions, making it difficult for dampness-heat to be expelled. Regular作息 allows the spleen and stomach sufficient rest, restores normal transformation and transportation functions, and reduces dampness-heat production.
3. Adhere to mild dietary therapy: Select appropriate dietary therapy recipes according to individual physical conditions, such as cooking porridge with coix seed, lotus seed, and Euryale ferox (Qianshi), or stewing wax gourd and Poria with lean meat. These dietary therapies can both clear heat and eliminate dampness, while also nourishing the spleen and stomach.
4. Improve eating habits: Develop consistent meal times and portion sizes, avoid irregular eating patterns, and maintain a feeling of 70-80% fullness at each meal. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly to aid digestion and absorption, reducing food retention in the gastrointestinal tract and preventing further generation of dampness-heat.
5. Select spleen-strengthening and dampness-resolving Chinese patent medicines: Under medical guidance, select appropriate Chinese medicines such as Shen Ling Bai Zhu San, Xiang Sha Liu Jun Wan, or Lian Pu Yin. These medicines can strengthen the spleen and boost qi, clear heat, and remove dampness, effectively treating symptoms such as reduced appetite, loose stools, abdominal distension, bitter taste, and sticky mouth caused by spleen-stomach dampness-heat.
Treating spleen-stomach dampness-heat requires long-term persistence and should not aim for quick results. If symptoms like worsening abdominal distension, diarrhea, or persistent loss of appetite occur during the调理 period, timely professional assistance should be sought.
