What internal factors lead to dampness in the human body?
According to the “Clinical Guidelines for Medical Cases”, it is recorded that “internally generated dampness is often due to excessive consumption of rich foods, alcohol, or excessive drinking of tea, or eating raw and cold fruits and sweet, greasy foods, along with prolonged sitting, which damages the spleen and stomach, obstructs the middle yang, and injures the spleen yang. The spleen cannot transform and transport body fluids, leading to the accumulation of dampness.”
How to remove dampness?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that Coix Seed (Yìyǐrén) is cool in nature, sweet and bland in taste, and enters the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians; it promotes diuresis and dampness elimination, strengthens the spleen and stops diarrhea, alleviates pain, expels pus, detoxifies, and disperses masses; it is used for edema, beriberi, urinary difficulties, spleen deficiency diarrhea, dampness obstructing the joints, lung abscess, intestinal abscess, warts, and cancerous growths.
The medicinal status of Coix Seed is quite high, as recorded in both the “Shennong Bencao Jing” and “Bencao Gangmu”. “Coix Seed, sweet in taste, slightly cold, is indicated for muscle spasms and contractions, inability to bend or stretch, wind-damp obstruction, and to relieve qi” (“Shennong Bencao Jing”); “It eliminates evil qi from the muscles and bones, benefits the stomach and intestines, and reduces edema” (“Mingyi Bielu”); “It is indicated for lung atrophy and lung qi, expelling pus and blood, coughing, and phlegm. Decoction can break the five streams of toxic swellings” (“Yaoxing Lun”); “It is neutral, alleviating dry and damp beriberi” (“Shiliao Bencao”); “Coix Seed is a Yangming herb, capable of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach. If deficient, it supplements its mother, thus used for lung atrophy and lung abscess. For diseases of the muscles and bones, it is based on treating Yangming, hence used for muscle spasms and wind-damp” (“Bencao Gangmu”).
Strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, promoting diuresis and dampness elimination means regulating the transformation function of the spleen and stomach, promoting the discharge of body fluids, and enhancing the body’s immunity.
Clearing heat and expelling pus refers to Coix Seed’s ability to clear the evil heat from the lungs. Studies have shown that Coix Seed can promote the metabolism of blood and fluids, having diuretic and anti-edema effects.
Research indicates that Coix Seed contains richfatty acids and their esters, sterols, triterpenes, polysaccharides, alkaloids, lignans, polyphenols, flavonoids, lactams, adenosine, and other active components, each playing different roles in the treatment of diseases, collectively achieving therapeutic goals.
Pharmacological studies show that Coix Seedhas anti-tumor properties, enhances immune function, exhibits antibacterial and antiviral effects, lowers blood sugar, calcium, and pressure, regulates blood lipids, inhibits protease, induces ovulation, has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and possesses antioxidant properties among other functions.
In modern clinical practice, it is used to treat various malignant tumors such as lung cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer; gynecological diseases such as anovulation and dysmenorrhea; inflammatory conditions such as acute pharyngitis, enteritis, rheumatic arthritis, periostitis, and gout; and symptoms related to low immunity such as primary hyperhidrosis and stubborn insomnia.
Coix Seed also has hemostatic, diuretic, and cell toxicity-enhancing effects, and is used to treat flat warts, urinary stones, etc. Its application prospects are very broad.
Note: The effects of raw and cooked Coix Seed are significantly different.
Raw Coix Seed is sweet, slightly cold, and has the most significant effects in promoting diuresis and dampness elimination, can expel dampness and wind, clear heat and expel pus, and alleviate pain, showing significant effects for urinary difficulties, edema, beriberi, and rheumatic pain.
Fried Coix Seed is prepared by frying Coix Seed over low heat until golden brown, with a slightly toasted aroma. The saying goes, “toasted aroma enters the spleen”; compared to raw Coix Seed, fried Coix Seed has less cold and more warming properties, making its effects of warming and strengthening the spleen more pronounced.
Fried Coix Seed with bran is made by frying bran with Coix Seed, enhancing the effects of strengthening the spleen and astringing the intestines, especially suitable for patients with spleen deficiency and dampness obstruction, who often experience loose, sticky stools and body edema..
Recommended Applications:
1. Damp-Heat Jaundice: Coix Seed Porridge
(“Effects and Methods of Using Coix Seed”)
Formula: 60g of Coix Seed.
Preparation: Soak 60g of Coix Seed in clean water for half a day, then boil for about 1 hour.
Dosage: The above is a single dosage; for jaundice with more dampness than heat, it should be taken morning and evening until recovery.
Effect: Strengthens the spleen, promotes diuresis, and eliminates dampness. Suitable for patients with jaundice where dampness predominates over heat.
2. Coix Seed Porridge
Formula: 30-60g of Coix Seed, 50g of japonica rice.
Preparation: Cook as porridge, seasoning with an appropriate amount of white sugar for consumption.
Effect: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, eliminates dampness and promotes diuresis, has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, suitable for those with body deficiency or elderly patients with edema, beriberi, poor appetite, spleen deficiency diarrhea, rheumatic pain, psoriasis, eczema, rheumatic back pain, etc. This formula can be used as an auxiliary dietary therapy for cancer prevention, but is not suitable for pregnant women..
3. Diarrhea and Eczema: Coix Seed, Lotus Seed, and Lily Porridge
(“Folk Recipes”)
Formula: 50g of Coix Seed, 30g of lotus seed (with heart removed), 20g of lily.
Preparation: Place Coix Seed in a small bowl for later use; first boil the lotus seed and lily in a clay pot until soft, then add 50g of Coix Seed and cook for about half an hour, sweetening with an appropriate amount of brown sugar or honey for consumption.
Dosage: The above is for two servings, can be taken morning and evening; for friends with frequent loose stools, this can be used as a long-term dietary therapy.
Effect: Strengthens the spleen, eliminates dampness, clears the lungs, relieves itching, and beautifies the skin. Suitable for loose stools, lower limb eczema, facial acne, etc.
Precautions
1. Coix Seed is cool in nature, not suitable for long-term use in those with a deficiency-cold constitution.
2. This product is mild, suitable for prolonged use; those with spleen deficiency without dampness, and those with dry stools should use with caution, as well as pregnant women.