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Identification of TCM Constitution
—Phlegm-Damp Constitution—
In daily life, do you have the following troubles:
Do you often feel chest tightness or abdominal fullness?
Do you often feel heavy and uncomfortable in your body?
Do you often feel your face is oily?
Do you feel there is phlegm in your throat, especially a sensation of obstruction in the throat?
If most of these issues resonate with you, then you should pay attention, as this may indicate that your Phlegm-Damp Constitution is at play.
Identification of Phlegm-Damp Constitution
Phlegm-Damp Constitution refers to a condition caused by dysfunction of the internal organs, leading to the disordered transformation of Qi, blood, and body fluids, resulting in the accumulation of dampness and phlegm within the body.
This type of constitution often presents with obesity, abdominal fullness, chest tightness, excessive phlegm, easy fatigue, a heavy sensation in the body, a swollen tongue, and a thick greasy tongue coating.
It is often caused by invasion of cold dampness, irregular diet, congenital factors, aging, chronic illness, and lack of exercise. Prolonged phlegm-dampness can easily develop into difficult conditions such as diabetes, stroke, and chest obstruction.
The famous physician of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Danxi, also said: “All diseases are caused by phlegm,” further reflecting the complexity and harm of the Phlegm-Damp Constitution.
Therefore, the Health Management Center of Anhui Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine has specially formulated some health-preserving methods for individuals with Phlegm-Damp Constitution to help you prevent diseases before they occur and prolong your life.
1. Diet to Strengthen the Spleen
❶ Red Bean and Job’s Tears Porridge
Principle:Job’s tears (Yi Yi Ren) are sweet and bland, slightly cold in nature, classified as a superior herb in the Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, beneficial for promoting diuresis, reducing swelling, strengthening the spleen, benefiting the stomach, relaxing tendons, alleviating pain, clearing heat, and expelling pus; red beans (Hong Dou) are slightly bitter and slightly cold, can strengthen the stomach, generate fluids, dispel dampness, and benefit Qi.
Method:Take 100 grams of Job’s tears and 50 grams of red beans, add an appropriate amount of sugar. Soak the Job’s tears and red beans in warm water beforehand; then add an appropriate amount of water to a pot, put in the Job’s tears and red beans, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and cook until it reaches a porridge consistency, finally sprinkle with sugar and stir well.
❷ Poria Porridge
Principle:According to the Compendium of Materia Medica: Poria (Fu Ling) is bland and permeating, its nature ascends, generates body fluids, opens pores, nourishes the water source and descends, and promotes urination. Japonica rice (Jing Mi) is first recorded in the Shennong’s Herbal Classic, its effects are “to benefit Qi, stop vexation, and stop diarrhea.” The combination of both can benefit Qi, strengthen the spleen, and promote diuresis.
Method:Put 100 grams of Japonica rice and 20 grams of Poria powder into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer until it becomes mushy, then add salt and some ginger pieces, stir well to complete. Take once in the morning and evening, and you can add brown sugar according to taste.
2. Appropriate Exercise
According to the Inner Canon of Huangdi: “Prolonged viewing injures blood, prolonged lying injures Qi, prolonged sitting injures flesh, prolonged standing injures bones, prolonged walking injures tendons, this is called the five labors that injure.”
Among them, “prolonged lying” is most likely to lead to the generation of phlegm and dampness, influenced by modern lifestyle and pace, people often collapse on the sofa as soon as they get home, lacking proper and effective exercise, leading to spleen Qi deficiency, unable to promote dampness.
So, what constitutes proper exercise?
According to Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty in the Qianjin Yaofang: “The way to nurture the spirit is to always desire slight labor, but not great fatigue, and to avoid what one cannot endure.”
Therefore, normal daily exercise for healthy individualsshould only be enough to stretch the limbs and make the body slightly sweat.
Young people with abundant energy can choose aerobic exercises, such as running, swimming, etc.;middle-aged and elderly individuals should be more cautious and suitable for walking, Tai Chi, and other exercises.
Among them, the most important thing is persistence; one cannot fish for three days and sunbathe for two days. Only through long-term, consistent, and appropriate exercise can the spleen Qi be strengthened, and dampness will not dare to invade the body.
