Damp-Heat

Simple home support for oily skin, breakouts, and a heavy, irritable feeling

Before you begin: This is general education in Chinese Medicine, not a diagnosis or treatment, and it does not replace your practitioner or GP. Burning urination, fever, spreading or infected skin, or yellow discharge need medical assessment. Persistent or severe skin concerns should be reviewed by your GP.

What this means in Chinese Medicine

Damp-Heat combines two qualities: the heaviness and stickiness of Dampness, and the redness and irritation of Heat. Together they create a hot, sticky, congested pattern.

It often settles in the skin, the digestion, or the lower body. Because it carries both heat and damp, it tends to feel worse in humidity and after rich, oily, or alcoholic food and drink. This pattern is common in inflammatory skin concerns.

How it can show up

  • Oily skin, pustular breakouts, or red, weepy skin flare-ups
  • A greasy yellow tongue coating
  • Sticky, strong-smelling stools, or a feeling of urgency
  • A bitter taste in the mouth, or bad breath
  • Heaviness combined with irritability
  • Yellow discharge, or a burning feeling on urination
  • Feeling worse in hot, humid weather and after alcohol

This pattern looks different in each person. Your practitioner reads your pulse, tongue, skin, and history to see the full picture.

Foods to favour

  • Cooling, draining foods: mung bean, barley, adzuki bean
  • Celery, cucumber, leafy greens, and bitter greens
  • Winter melon and corn silk
  • Lighter cooking: steaming and simple broths
  • Plenty of water

Foods to reduce for now

  • Alcohol, which is one of the strongest drivers of this pattern
  • Dairy, sugar, and refined carbohydrates
  • Greasy, fried, and oily foods
  • Very spicy and hot foods
  • Rich, heavy meals

Lifestyle and self-care

  • Keep cool and dry, and avoid humid, stuffy environments where you can.
  • Move enough to sweat lightly, then wash and dry off, since lingering sweat and damp can aggravate the skin.
  • Watch alcohol closely. It tends to flare both the heat and the damp.
  • Keep a simple, gentle skin routine, and avoid heavy, occlusive products if your skin is congested.

Simple teas

  Mung bean soup or mung bean water, cooling and damp-clearing.

  Corn silk tea, simmered from fresh or dried corn silk, to help drain Damp-Heat.

Herbal teas are still active substances; check with your practitioner if you are pregnant, on medication, or managing a complex condition.

Back to blog