What to Eat for a Damp-Heat Constitution

Generally, individuals with a damp-heat constitution are advised to consume foods such as coix seed, winter melon, mung beans, red adzuki beans, and bitter melon, as well as oral medications including Huoxiang Qingwei Capsules, Shenling Baizhu Powder, Longdan Xiegan Pills, Qingre Qushi Granules, and Xiangsha Yangwei Pills. Foods can assist in removing dampness and clearing heat, while medications should be used according to medical advice, with effects varying among individuals. Detailed explanations are as follows:

I. Foods

1. Coix Seed: Rich in dietary fiber, it promotes intestinal motility and helps eliminate excess dampness in the body. Its cooling nature assists in clearing heat. It is suitable for individuals with a damp-heat constitution to cook as porridge or soup, helping alleviate discomfort such as bitter taste in the mouth and abdominal distension.

2. Winter Melon: High in water content and low in calories, it promotes diuresis and reduces edema, accelerating the elimination of dampness from the body. Its cooling nature clears heat. It can be consumed via stir-frying or soups, improving body heaviness caused by damp-heat.

3. Mung Beans: Effective in clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as promoting diuresis and removing dampness, they help eliminate internal damp-heat. They can be cooked into mung bean soup or combined with other grains, especially suitable for consumption during summer when damp-heat is prominent.

4. Red Adzuki Beans: Strengthen the spleen, remove dampness, clear heat, and reduce swelling. They promote water metabolism, reducing accumulation of dampness and heat. Often cooked with coix seed as tea or porridge, they help relieve urinary difficulties and leg edema caused by damp-heat.

5. Bitter Melon: With a cooling nature and containing bitter melon glycosides, it clears heat, detoxifies, and removes dampness. It can be eaten raw or stir-fried to help relieve mouth ulcers and sore throat caused by damp-heat.

II. Medications

1. Huoxiang Qingwei Capsules: Composed of ingredients such as agastache, gardenia, and siler, these capsules clear heat, resolve dampness, invigorate the spleen, and relieve stagnation. They are suitable for indigestion, abdominal distension, bitter taste, and bad breath caused by a damp-heat constitution and should be taken under a physician's guidance for a specified course.

2. Shenling Baizhu Powder: Contains ginseng, poria, and atractylodes, among others. It strengthens the spleen, benefits qi, removes dampness, and stops diarrhea. It improves dampness accumulation caused by spleen and stomach weakness in individuals with a damp-heat constitution, relieving poor appetite and loose stools, as well as fatigue. Usage should follow medical instructions.

3. Longdan Xiegan Pills: Composed of gentiana, bupleurum, and scutellaria, among others, these pills clear liver and gallbladder heat, and relieve damp-heat. They are suitable for symptoms such as dizziness, red eyes, tinnitus, deafness, and dark, scanty urine caused by downward accumulation of damp-heat. Due to its cooling nature, dosage must strictly follow medical instructions.

4. Qingre Qushi Granules: Contain codonopsis, capillaris, and岗梅根 (Gangmeigen), among others. They clear heat, remove dampness, benefit qi, and generate body fluids. They relieve symptoms such as dry mouth, poor appetite, and body heaviness caused by a damp-heat constitution. Spicy and greasy foods should be avoided during use.

5. Xiangsha Yangwei Pills: Composed of saussurea, amomum, atractylodes, and other ingredients, these pills warm the middle jiao, harmonize the stomach, remove dampness, and strengthen the spleen. They are suitable for individuals with a damp-heat constitution accompanied by spleen-stomach cold deficiency, improving epigastric discomfort, acid regurgitation, and limb fatigue. Use should be under medical supervision.

Individuals with a damp-heat constitution should maintain a light diet, avoid spicy, oily, and sweet foods to reduce damp-heat formation. Additionally, they should maintain regular sleep patterns, avoid staying up late, and engage in moderate exercise such as brisk walking or jogging to promote blood circulation and dampness elimination.