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TCM Pattern · Tag

Damp-heat (shī rè)

shī rè · 湿热

Last reviewed: June 29, 2026

A heavy, sticky, internally hot feeling — "muggy weather inside the body"

About this page

This page is a cultural reference, not a diagnostic tool. TCM patterns are tags that explain why certain formulas are discussed together — they do not map 1:1 to Western medical diagnoses.

Background

In TCM, shī rè describes the simultaneous presence of dampness (heaviness, stickiness, sluggishness) and heat (redness, burning, yellow discharges). It is the pattern of "muggy tropical weather, but inside the body" — a feeling of being simultaneously weighed down and inflamed, often showing up as yellow, sticky, or malodorous discharges and a general sense of "something hot and wet is stuck." Longdan Xiegan Wan targets damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder channel — the "heat" manifests as irritability and bitter taste, the "damp" as genital discharge or lower-body heaviness. Bazheng Pian targets damp-heat in the bladder — the "heat" shows as burning urination, the "damp" as urgency and frequency. Same tag, different anatomical terrain.

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Medicines traditionally associated with this pattern

  • Formula · Lóng Dǎn Xiè Gān Wán

    Gentian Liver-Draining

    龙胆泻肝丸

    A strong "drain fire from the liver and gallbladder" formula, bitter, cold, and one of the most frequently discussed prescriptions for pronounced "liver fire" patterns in the head, eyes, and lower body.

  • Formula · Bā Zhèng Piàn

    Eight-Rectifying Tablet

    八正片

    A tablet form of the classical "qing-re xie-huo, li-niao tong-lin" (clear heat and drain fire, promote urine and unblock painful urination) formula from the Song-dynasty "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine", the most prescribed classical OTC formula for "damp-heat" urinary discomfort.