Herbs That Drain Dampness

Herbs That Drain Dampness:

There are two main types of dampness:

Accumulation of fluids in the body - edema, congested fluids (respiratory and digestive system).

These herbs are good for edema below the waist in the lower extremities.
Acute edema should be combined with herbs that release the exterior.
Chronic edema should be combined with herbs that tonify qi and yang of spleen and kidneys.

Dampness complicated with heat - combine with clearing damp-heat herbs.

Heat signs of fever, burning sensation, yellow discharges with stagnation symptoms of distention and fullness.
Lin syndrome (painful urination), Shi Wen (warm febrile disease), damp sores and jaundice all fit under this category.

The main method of treatment is to increase the production of urine.
Use with caution in cases of yin deficiency and/or depleted fluids.

Section Herbal Summary:

Fu Ling and Zhu Ling - promote urination.

Fu Ling - strengthens the spleen, calms the heart.
Zhu Ling - not tonifying, slightly cold, used exclusively to promote urination and expel dampness.

Fu Ling and Yi Yi Ren - similar but Yi Yi Ren has a much weaker tonifying function.

Yi Yi Ren also clears heat and treats wind-dampness.

Mu Tong and Tong Cao - promote urination and clear heat.

Mu Tong - better for draining heat.
Tong Cao - better for draining dampness.

Ze Xie, Che Qian Zi, Hua Shi - promotes urination and clears damp-heat.

Ze Xie - clears kidney fire.
Che Qian Zi - Clears liver and lung heat.
Hua Shi - clears summer heat.

Guang Fang Ji and Han Fang Ji - similar.

Guang Fang Ji - traditionally used for wind-damp.
Han Fang Ji - edema.

Qu Mai, Bian Xie, Shi Wei, Jin Qian Cao, Dong Kui Zi, Yu Mi Xu - for damp heat induced lin.

Qu Mai - when heat is predominant.
Bian Xu - heat and dampness are equally severe.
Bei Xie - dampness is predominent.
Jin Qian Cao and Yu Mi Xu - stone lin.
Jin Qian Cao and Yin Chen Hao - both effective for clearing damp-heat from the liver and gallbladder - jaundice.
Dong Kui Zi - when constipation is present.

Chinese Herb	Functions and Usage
Ban Bian Lian (Lobelia)	Promotes urination and reduces edema - ascites. Cools the blood and reduces toxicity - good for snake bites and wasp stings.
Bei Xie (Dioscorea Root)	Separates the pure from the turbid - cloudy urine and leukorrhea, either from damp-heat or deficiency. Expels wind damp (cold and hot bi syndromes), relaxes the sinews. Damp-heat - skin disorders (eczema, pustular sores).
Bian Xu (Knotweed, Polygonoum)	Clears damp-heat in the bladder - promotes urination, damp-heat lin. Expels parasites - intestinal parasites. Damp skin lesions - itching.
Che Qian Zi (Plantago Seeds)	Promotes urination, clears heat - edema, lin syndromes due to damp-heat, generally in the lower warmer. Solidifies the stool - diarrhea with damp-heat or damp-summerheat. Clears the eyes - liver and kidney deficiency (dry eyes or cataracts) or heat in the liver channel (red, painful, swollen eyes and sensitive to light). Lung heat - expels phlegm, stops cough.
Chi Xiao Dou (Aduki Bean)	Clears heat, promotes urination - abdominal fullness and swelling due to edema, urinary difficulty, leg qi edema; the nature of this herb is to move downward and relieve edema by water or dampness drained from the body. Disperses blood stasis - reduces swelling and fire toxicity, sores, carbuncles. Clears damp heat - jaundice.
Deng Xin Cao (Rush Pith)	Promotes urination and leaches out dampness - heat disorders with lin syndrome. Clears heat from the heart channel into the small intestine (expelled through the urine) - pediatric sleep disorders with heat signs at night accompanied by irritability and scanty urination; adult insomnia (heart fire with kidney yin deficiency).
Di Fu Zi (Broom Cyprus Fruit)	Clears damp heat, promotes urination - lin syndrome due to damp heat in the bladder. Expels dampness, stops itching - damp skin disorders, eczema, scabies, damp-heat in the external genitals.
Dong Gua Ren (Winter Melon Seed)	Clears lung and intestinal heat, expels phlegm, discharges pus - thick, sticky, yellow phlegm, damp-heat with phlegm obstruction in the upper/lower jiao (lung/intestinal abscess). Clears heat, drains dampness - leukorrhea due to damp-heat.
Dong Kui Zi (Musk Mallow Seeds)	Promotes urination - lin syndromes (hot, xue, stone), edema without lin issues, constipation. Benefits the breasts - insufficient lactation, painful swollen breasts, breast abscess. Moisten and unblocks the bowels.
Fu Ling (Poria, China Root)	Promotes urination, drains dampness, transforms phlegm - urinary difficulty, diarrhea, edema, headache, dizziness, greasy tongue coat. Strengthens the spleen, harmonizes the middle jiao - diarrhea, loss of appetite. Quiets the heart and calms the spirit - palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness.
Guang Fang Zi (Aristolochia Root, Stephania)	Expels wind-damp-heat - diffuse aches and pains, thirst, yellow, greasy tongue coat. Promotes urination and reduces edema (facial or systemic) with wheezing or leg qi.
Han Fang Zi (Stephania Root)	Promotes urination, reduces edema - lower extremity edema, borborygmus, abdominal distention, ascites from lower jiao damp accumulation. Expels wind-damp-heat, alleviates pain - fever, red, swollen, hot, painful joints.
Hua Shi (Talcum Powder)	Promotes urination, drains heat from the bladder - important herb for hot lin syndromes, also for damp heat generated diarrhea. Clears heat, summer heat (w/urinary difficult) and damp-heat through urine. Absorbs dampness (oozing eczema) - used topically for damp skin lesions.
Jin Qian Cao (Lysimachia, Whole Plant)	Promotes urination, important herb for stone lin syndromes (also helps for other lin types). Clears damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder - jaundice, red, swollen eyes. Reduces toxicity and swelling - snakebit, abscess, traumatic injury.
Mu Tong (Akebia Caulis)	Promotes urination, drains heat from the heart through the small intestine - irritability with sores of the mouth or tongue, scanty urination, lin syndrome, edema. Promotes lactation, unblocks the blood vessels - insufficient lactation, less commonly for amenorrhea and bi-syndrome.
Qu Mai (Dianthus)	Clears damp heat, promotes urination, unblocks lin syndrome - for any lin, especially xue lin. Breaks up blood stasis - amenorrhea due to blood stasis. Unblocks the bowels - constipation.
Shi Wei (Pyrrosia Leaves)	Promotes urination, drains damp-heat from the bladder - hot, stone, xue lin. Clears heat and stops bleeding - vomiting, uterine bleeding. Clears the lungs, expels phlegm, relieves cough - lung heat, wheezing.
Tong Cao (Rice Paper Pith)	Promotes urination and clears heat - for damp warm febrile disease or damp-heat lin. Promotes lactation.
Yi Yi Ren (Seeds of Job's Tears)	Promotes urination, drains dampness - edema, difficult urination, damp leg qi. Strengthens the spleen, stops diarrhea. Clears heat and expels pus - carbuncles, lung or intestinal abscesses. Expels wind-damp, relieves joint and muscle pain. Clears damp-heat - any damp-heat disorder at any level with greasy tongue coating and digestive problems.
Yin Chen Hao (Yin Chen Hao Shoots and Leaves)	Main herb for Jaundice. Clears damp heat from the liver and gallbladder - relieves jaundice (either damp heat or cold). Clears heat, shao yang syndrome (intermittent fever and chills, bitter taste, stifling sensation in the chest, flank pain, dizziness, nausea).
Yu Mi Xu (Cornsilk)	Promotes urination - hot lin, stone lin, edema. Regulates the gallbladder - yin or yang jaundice. Wasting and thirsting disorder.
Ze Xie (Water Plantain Root)	Promotes urination, drains damp-heat in the lower burner - urinary difficulty, edema, diarrhea. Drains deficient kidney fire - heat signs, dizziness, tinnitus.
Zhu Ling (Polyporus Sclerotium)	Promotes urination, drains dampness - edema, scanty urination, cloudy painful urination, vaginal discharge, jaundice, diarrhea.