Damp occurs in late summer and early autumn, but is also found in other seasons. Damp diseases are common when high Heat holds immense moisture, but can also be caused by staying in the rain, getting the feet wet, or living in damp places. Damp is characterized as follows:
| (1) | Damp belongs to Yin and is heavy and turbid in nature. | |
| • | The Symptoms of Damp include heavy feeling, heavy limbs, heavy full head, and whole-body fatigue. | |
| • | Damp is similar to water, which, when stirred, appears turbid. Therefore, body waste and secretions in Damp diseases are also turbid, including a dirty complexion, excessive eye secretion, loose stools, turbid urine, leucorrhea, oozing eczema, and mucous and bloody dysentery. | |
| (2) | Damp obstructs Qi, since it is heavy, hardly moves, and is often retain in the Zang-Fu and meridians, obstructing Qi movement and transforming. | |
| • | Damp symptoms include chest oppression and fullness, scant difficult urination, and inhibited defecation. | |
| • | Damp is a Yin and can block Yang-Qi flow, increase Damp, and decrease Yang-Qi. | |
| • | A Damp (Earth) impaired Spleen (Earth) stagnates Qi in the Middle Energizer. | |
| • | A Damp impaired Yang and Spleen-Yang affects Spleen-Yang’s transformation of water, leading to water accumulation with diarrhea, scant urine, edema, and ascites. | |
| (3) | Damp is sticky and stagnant. Stickiness refers to the waste and secretions of Damp diseases from the body. Stagnation refers to the persistence, recurrence, and duration of Damp diseases, such as Damp-warm syndrome, and Damp blockage syndrome with eczema. | |
| (4) | Similar to water, Damp is downward in nature with three downward meanings. | |
| • | Huangdi Neijing says, “When Damp attacks, it first impairs the lower body.” | |
| • | Damp diseases are most seen in the lower body, such as lower limb edema, stranguria, leukorrhagia, and dysentery. | |
| • | Damp diseases transmit downward, as when Damp-Warm disease transmits from the Upper, to the Middle, then to the Lower Energizer. Damp moving downward causes stranguria, leukorrhagia, and dysentery. | |