Foods that remove dampness and heat

Foods that help remove damp-heat mainly fall into the following categories: 1. Heat-clearing and detoxifying foods: such as mung beans and bitter melon. These are relatively cooling in nature and can clear internal heat and relieve summer heat, effectively alleviating symptoms of damp-heat. 2. Spleen-strengthening and dampness-resolving foods: such as yam and carrots. These foods are not only nutritious but also help strengthen the spleen, nourish the stomach, and eliminate dampness, thereby improving spleen and stomach function and reducing dampness production. 3. Diuretic and detoxifying foods: such as winter melon and millet. These promote urination, helping the body expel excess dampness and toxins, thus relieving damp-heat symptoms. 4. Foods that are both edible and medicinal: such as coix seed (yi yi ren) and red adzuki beans. These act as both food and herbal medicine, promoting diuresis, resolving dampness, strengthening the spleen, and stopping diarrhea. They are particularly effective in improving conditions like difficult urination and spleen deficiency-related diarrhea caused by damp-heat. Patients should practice dietary moderation, avoiding overeating and excessive consumption of raw, cold, greasy, or spicy foods.