In Traditional Chinese Medicine, “dampness” is often described as the inability to rid the body of excessive amounts of moisture.  It simpler terms, the body has literally become water logged.  There are many factors that can contribute to an excessive amount of dampness in the body.

With that being said, both environment and diet play an extremely important role in the formation of damp conditions in the body.  Also, different environments require different eating styles in order to prevent damp accumulation in the body. 

Typically, foods that are available with the seasons and that grow in tune with natures natural cycles are extremely beneficial for preventing damp conditions. This is why eating seasonally and local foods is highly advisable for anyone dealing with an overabundance of dampness.

Unfortunately, due to the standard American diet (SAD) and food items that have become available year round thanks to importation and modern agriculture, there has been a dramatic rise in damp conditions amongst the general population over the last several years.

What Causes Dampness in the Body?

As mentioned above, excessive amounts of dampness in the body can be brought on by environmental factors, as well as diet.  Someone living in a damp wet climate (think Amazon jungle) will naturally be more susceptible to developing dampness in the body.

Likewise, someone eating an overabundance of damp forming foods will most definitely develop symptoms caused by dampness.  Interestingly, many damp forming foods have become staples in the modern American diet.

What are Symptoms of Dampness in the Body?

Although symptoms will vary from person to person, there a few symptoms that are dead giveaways that an individual is suffering from a damp condition.  Below is a small list of the most common types of symptoms related to dampness in the body.

• Poor Digestion
• Chronic Diarrhea
• Memory Problems
• Cold Hands and Feet
• Lower Back Pain (kidneys)
• Low Libido
• Confusion and/or Brain Fog
• White Tongue (candida overgrowth)
• Bloating After Eating (SIBO)

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, there is a good chance that you are dealing with an excessive amount of dampness in the body.  Once this condition has developed in the body, it can be extremely difficult to reverse. 

It should be noted that damp conditions do not happen overnight.  Often, the formation of dampness in the body is accumulative and symptoms often do not arise in the beginning.  However, once the body has reached its threshold of dampness, symptoms then begin to surface.

Luckily, through proper diet and the use of medicinal herbs, dampness can most definitely be reversed and optimal health can be achieved.

Foods That Cause Dampness

There are various foods that can contribute to dampness in the body.   This does not make these foods necessarily bad, but simply means they’re not right for anyone dealing with issues removing moisture from the body.  On the contrary, those dealing with excessive amounts of heat in the body may be able to consume the foods listed below without issues. 

The following is a list of foods that can promote damp accumulation in the body.  Individuals suffering with dampness should attempt to avoid these foods until the body becomes rebalanced.

• Dairy
• Bananas
• Raw Foods (big no no)
• Wheat
• Peanuts
• Avocado
• Fruit Juice
• Coffee and Alcohol
• Sugar (should NEVER be consumed)

These foods should be removed for some time until the excessive amount of dampness is removed from the body.  This can sometimes be a long process and patience is mandatory for resolving the issue.  Also, it’s important to remember that the condition did not happen overnight and sometimes healing may seem like a slow process.

What We Now Know About Dampness

It’s important to understand that Traditional Chinese Medicine is thousands and thousands of years old.  Although it can be extremely helpful in some aspects, there is information now available that can better describe what is going in the body rather than using terminology such as “dampness” or “Heat.”

Based on many of the symptoms related to excessive amounts of dampness in the body, it seems clear that dampness is actually a pathogenic overgrowth such as SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth) or candida.

Research shows that white coating on the tongue (often associated with damp conditions) is a sign of a candida overgrowth, or candidiasis (1).  Furthermore, SIBO has been associated with chronic diarrhea as well as memory problems (2)(3). Lastly, poor digestion and bloating has also been shown to be an obvious sign in those dealing with SIBO (4).

The point of all this is to not discredit Traditional Chinese Medicine, but rather further pin point the REAL problem in people dealing with excessive amounts of “dampness” in the body.

Chinese Medicine has done an excellent job with the tools available during that time period to treat and describe various conditions in the body.  However, thanks to modern research, these conditions can be further described by science and a more detailed approach can be taken in order to correct the disorder.

Consume an Anti-Candida Diet

The best diet for combating candida and SIBO, and effectively removing dampness from the body, is a diet centered on traditional foods.  This means removing all processed foods, sugar, and sweets, and introducing more nutrient dense foods into the diet. 

High quality animal foods that are organic and grass-fed are extremely beneficial for rebalancing the gut and providing the necessary materials that your immune system can use in order to fight off any pathogenic overgrowths.  It also provides the necessary amino acids so that the body has the necessary materials for growth and repair (5).

Also, consuming steamed vegetables provides the body with the necessary prebiotics needed to feed the good bacteria in the gut (6).  This allows the good bacteria to flourish and essentially overcrowd any bad bacteria or yeast such as candida that may be overgrown.

Limit Grains and Carbohydrates

Unfortunately, pathogenic bacteria and yeasts thrive off high carbohydrate foods (7).  It’s for this reason that steamed vegetables should take the place of any high carbohydrate foods. 

With that being said, anyone still craving starchy foods should try yucca root. Yucca is an excellent starchy vegetable that contains saponins and antibacterial properties that can combat pathogenic overgrowths.  It also has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the body (8).  Just be sure you thoroughly cook it as this vegetable is toxic in its raw form!

Furthermore, grains should be dropped all together since they contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which can increase intestinal permeability (9).

However, preparing your own sourdough bread at home with ancient grains can significantly reduce the phytic acid content due to the fermentation process (10).  This naturally reduces the amount of inflammation and comes with the added benefit of probiotics which can help crowd out the bad bacteria in the gut.

Interestingly, studies show that raw honey (although a source of natural sugars) can inhibit the growth of certain candida species in the body (11).

Other Strategies for Removing Dampness

Other strategies for combating this disorder would be to incorporate medicinal herbs in the diet.  Reishi mushroom is excellent for rebalancing the body and fighting off any pathogenic overgrowths in the body due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.  Research has shown that Reishi can effectively inhibit the formation of candida biofilms and help rid it from the body (12).

Also, try to consume at least one raw carrot a day.  Raw carrots contain powerful antimicrobial properties which can inhibit the growth of various pathogenic bacteria and yeasts in the gut (13).