Dampness
痰濕 · tánshī
The body’s fluid processing has fallen behind, and the backlog sits as heaviness, puffiness, fog and phlegm.
Classic signs of Dampness
- Heaviness of body and limbs; mornings that start in second gear
- A foggy, muffled head — noticeably worse in damp weather
- Sticky or greasy mouth; phlegm in the throat on waking
- Puffy face or eyelids in the morning; a soft, easily-gaining middle
- Sluggishness and heavy eyelids after meals
- Loose, sticky stools
- Oily skin and hair; a thick feeling rather than a sharp one
- Chest oppression; a preference for lying down
- Tongue: swollen and pale with a thick, greasy coating — this constitution's signature. Running hot instead — oily skin with breakouts, bitter taste, yellow greasy coat? Same drainage problem, warmer weather: favour the cooling items below and drop the warming spices
Tend the source, and the fog lifts
The Spleen (脾) transforms and transports fluids as well as food. Overwhelm it — with rich, sweet, greasy, cold input — or weaken it with irregular eating and sitting, and fluids stop being processed and start being stored: as heaviness, puffiness, phlegm, fog.
The later masters completed the map — 脾為生痰之源, "the Spleen is the source that generates phlegm" (Li Zhongzi, Ming dynasty): tend the source, and the fog downstream begins to lift.
Lifestyle
- Sweat gently, daily — movement is this constitution's drainage system: brisk walking, jogging, badminton, enough to glow for twenty minutes. The fog lifts from the outside in
- Make dinner the smallest meal, finished three hours before bed
- Resist the post-lunch collapse — a ten-minute walk after eating does more here than any supplement on this page
- Keep your environment dry — it sounds domestic; it is constitutional
Food therapy — light, warm, draining
- More: the traditional drainers — Job's tears barley (薏苡仁), adzuki beans (赤小豆), white radish, celery, corn and corn-silk tea, winter melon, spring onion, ginger; steaming, quick stir-fries, clear soups
- Less: dairy, sugar, fried food, beer and sweet drinks, rich smoothies, the cold-raw breakfast that douses the fire that should be drying you out
One to try: Job's tears and adzuki bean water — both simmered 40 minutes, drunk warm through the day. Possibly the most-prescribed kitchen remedy in all of Chinese dietary tradition for exactly this pattern.
Acupressure — the drainage points, daily
Fenglong · ST40
Halfway between knee and outer ankle, two finger-widths out from the shin bone. The classical point for phlegm and damp — every acupuncturist's first thought for the foggy head.
Yinlingquan · SP9
Inner leg, in the depression just below the knee where the shin bone flares. The Spleen channel's great water-regulating point — often tender exactly when needed.
Clarity blend — in development
A dedicated constitution blend for Dampness is being formulated in the clinic now. Dampness is famously the pattern that "lingers like oil worked into flour", as the old physicians grumbled — which is why the clinic approach pairs acupuncture with tailored herbal consultation and honest dietary work.
If heaviness, fog and stubborn middle-weight are your daily weather, a constitutional consultation will do what no generic advice can.
Food supplements support general wellbeing and are not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment, nor for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Asked across the treatment couch
Is dampness why I can't shift weight around my middle?
Does the UK climate really make a difference?
Is this a medical diagnosis?
Can my constitution change?
When to seek more than a webpage
- See your GP first for red-flag changes: unexplained weight loss, persistent unexplained pain, blood where blood shouldn't be, chest pain, breathlessness at rest, new severe headaches, or anything rapidly worsening.
- Pregnancy changes the rules: some acupressure points on this page are traditionally avoided in pregnancy (marked above), and supplements should be run past your midwife or GP.
- On medication? Check with your pharmacist or GP before adding botanical supplements.
This guide supports general wellbeing and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your GP for medical concerns. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Not quite you? Meet the other constitutions
Most people are a blend — a primary pattern with one or two supporting actors. If parts of this page fit and parts didn't, your answer is probably two doors down.
Take this page's advice for a season — then tell us what changed
Constitution work is gardening, not surgery. And if you'd like the professional reading — tongue, pulse, history, the full craft — the treatment room is where your pattern gets read properly.
Cheuk's Wellness & TCM · ATCM-registered practitioner (FM 0220069) · 96a High Street, Staple Hill, Bristol