Damp-Heat in Spleen and Stomach

In plain words

Heavy and foggy, with a full belly, a bitter or sticky mouth, and stools that are gluey, foul-smelling and hard to pass.

Alcohol, fried food and too much sugar leave a thick residue that digestion cannot shift. Add humid heat, or simply let that residue sit long enough, and it ferments and starts to heat. Heaviness plus heat plugs the middle from above and fouls the exit below: nothing flows, everything sticks.

Characteristic symptoms

• Fullness and oppression in the epigastrium and abdomen
• Nausea and vomiting with sensation of heat
• Heavy body, head feeling wrapped in cotton
• Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes) in severe cases
• Bitter or cloying sweet taste in the mouth
• Sticky, foul-smelling stools difficult to expel
• Dark and turbid urine
• Persistent low-grade fever or internal sensation of heat

Key clues to recognize it

• Yellow, thick, greasy coating on the tongue, as if it could be scraped off.
• Sticky stools that smear and smell strong, with the feeling of never being finished.
• A heavy head, as if wrapped in cotton, and no lightness anywhere in the body.

Tongue and pulse

Tongue

Red or reddish tongue with yellow, thick and greasy (sticky) coating

Pulse

Slippery (huá) and rapid (shuò) pulse

Treatment principle

Eliminate Dampness, drain Heat and restore Qi flow in Spleen and Stomach

Common points

Reference formula

Yin Chen Hao Tang (Artemisia Yinchenhao Decoction)

What not to confuse it with

What aggravates it

• Alcohol, beer above all, and fried or very fatty food.
• Sweets, pastries and dairy in quantity.
• Eating dinner late and going straight to bed.
• Humid summers or closed, hot rooms.

Lifestyle advice

Avoid fatty, fried, sweet foods, alcohol and spices. Reduce dairy consumption. Eat foods that drain Damp-Heat: barley, mung beans, cucumber, bitter foods. Avoid overeating. Stay physically active to move stagnant Qi.

When to see a doctor