Rainy day = everyone has "dampness"?

TCM does consider humid weather, but "dampness" describes a person's pattern based on their own signs — a forecast alone cannot tell you that.

What does TCM mean by "dampness"?

TCM separates "outer dampness" from "inner dampness". Outer dampness comes from the environment: humid weather, a damp home, or staying in wet clothes after rain. Inner dampness is about how well your body handles fluids. TCM sees the spleen as the system that moves fluids, so a weaker digestion, rich or sweet food, or lots of raw and iced food lets dampness build up.

Dampness is described as heavy, sticky and sluggish: a heavy body, a head that feels wrapped in cotton, a sticky mouth, sluggish bowels, a poor appetite and little motivation.

Weather versus constitution

Hong Kong is a humid city. On spring's "returning south wind" days, walls and floors run with condensation, and summer is hot and sticky. On days like these, many people feel heavy and lethargic, which is the environment at work.

But humid weather does not mean everyone has "dampness". Some people stay bright and hungry through the muggiest weeks; others feel heavy and sticky even in dry autumn and winter. The first is the environment; the second is closer to what TCM calls a damp constitution. If the heaviness lifts when the weather clears, it was most likely just the weather.

How to tell if you lean damp

Watch yourself for a few weeks. Do you often feel heavy and struggle to wake up? Is your mouth often sticky, faintly sweet or bland? Is your tongue coating thick or greasy? Are your bowel movements sticky and hard to flush?

If several of these happen often, you may lean towards dampness, and PANguin's constitution test can give you a reference. These signs can have other causes too. If heaviness and tiredness persist, or come with swelling or breathlessness, see a doctor.

What you can do

On humid days keep rooms ventilated and meals lighter. If you often feel heavy with a sticky mouth, take the constitution test or see a practitioner.

At home, close the windows and run a dehumidifier on the stickiest days, then open up when the air is dry. Bring laundry in only once it is fully dry, and change out of wet clothes quickly after rain. For food, cut back on fried food, desserts and iced food, and choose steamed and boiled dishes. Traditional dampness soups use adzuki beans, Job's tears, winter melon or poria: adzuki bean and Job's tears soup, winter melon soup, and poria with lean pork are common choices.

Exercise matters too. Walking, brisk walking and swimming bring on a light sweat that helps things move. For acupressure, Yinlingquan (SP9) on the inner lower leg and Zusanli (ST36) are both traditionally used to support digestion and clear dampness. For more on each one, see the Related acupoints and Related ingredients sections below.

A common misunderstanding: the more dampness soup, the better?

Some people make a dampness soup every time it rains, or drink dampness tea every day. Many dampness foods are cooling, such as Job's tears and winter melon, and drinking them in large amounts for a long time can do people who feel the cold, have loose stools or a cold stomach more harm than good. Job's tears is traditionally used with caution in pregnancy; dry-roasted Job's tears is gentler for a cold stomach.

The real work of clearing dampness is looking after digestion and daily habits, not one bowl of soup. Improve your eating and routine first, then choose soups to match how you actually feel, and the results will last longer.