Dampness belongs to yin pathological factors; it may come from inner body and also outside world. Outside dampness, in most cases, stay at the surface of the skin and within the meridians; while the inner dampness, have the zang-fu organs’ illness in majority. Dampness can harm the body along with outside wind、cold and heat, leading to a complex syndrome; so when using the prescriptions, identification should be made for distinguishing inside or outside, upper body or lower body, excess or deficiency, then can the disease being fully controlled.
1. Drying and eliminating the dampness
This method is for the treatment of dampness excess, chest and abdomen fullness, such as damp-warm syndrome, diarrhea, dyspepsia. On the treatment, use the bitter and warm drugalong with drugs that have aromatic smell and eliminating function. Common drugs as Rhizoma Atractylodis, Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis, Pericarpium Citri Reticulate, Herba Pogostemonis. Prescription representative is Liu He Tang.
2. Clearing heat and removing dampness
This method is applied for curing heat and dampness, such as damp-warm syndrome, jaundice, heat stranguria, bloody stranguria. Common drugs such as Herba Artemisiae Scopariae, Fructus Forsythiae, Rhizoma Coptidis, Cortex Phellodendri. Representative are Gan Lu Xiao Du Dan, Yin Chen Hao Tang, Ba Zheng San.
3.Using diuretic of hydragogue to alleviate water retention
For treatment of water retention, urinate impeded, edema. Common drugs such as Poria, Grifola, Rhizoma Alismatis, Talcum, etc. Drug representatives: Wu Ling powder.
4.Warmly eliminating the dampness
Main function is to treat diseases as phlegm and retained fluid, yin fluid (edema due to weakness of spleen and lungs), cold kidney, etc. Commonly used drugs such as rhizoma zingiberis and Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata, Cortex Cinnamomi, combined with water-disinhibiting medicines. Representatives are linggui zhugan decoction, soup with Gan Jiang Ling Shu decoction, etc.
5. Drain dampness
To treat dampness at body surface, cold, heat, body pain, slow pulse, white tongue; or wet beriberi, swollen feet, chest tightness, nausea and so on. Common drugs are Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii, Folium Perillae, Areca-Nut,Fructus Evodiae, ginger, etc. Representatives: Qiang Huo Sheng Shi decoction, Ji Ming powder.