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The Earth element is associated with the end of each season, so dampness exists in all four seasons. Why does the classic text specifically state "autumn injury by dampness"? The six Qi (vital energies) of a year are Wind, Ministerial Fire, Monarch Fire, Dampness, Dryness, and Cold. Calculating the Fourth Qi (Late Summer), from Great Heat to White Dew, corresponds to the period when Damp Earth holds authority; thus, it is called "autumn injury by dampness." Mr. Ju Tong placed Damp-Warmth at the end of summer and beginning of autumn, which is indeed a profound insight. I consider that diseases caused by dampness fall into six categories: one is Injury by Dampness, two is Stroke by Dampness, three is Envelopment by Dampness, four is Damp-Heat, five is Cold-Dampness, and six is Damp-Warmth. Among these, Injury by Dampness has exterior and interior distinctions: Exterior Injury by Dampness results from living in damp places, wading through water, or clothes getting wet from rain and dew, where dampness enters from the outside. Interior Injury by Dampness results from a preference for tea and alcohol, and excessive consumption of fruits and melons, where dampness arises from within. Stroke by Dampness refers to sudden collapse and loss of consciousness, resembling Stroke (Zhong Feng). Envelopment by Dampness occurs due to exposure to morning fog and dew, or traversing mountain mists and miasmas. Damp-Heat is mostly contracted at the end of summer and beginning of autumn, and less so in other seasons. Cold-Dampness occurs when one is first injured by dampness and subsequently harmed by raw or cold foods. Damp-Warmth is formed when dampness brews into warmth, but the warmth has not yet transformed into heat; it is the most difficult to cure quickly, unlike Cold-Dampness which can be resolved with acrid-dispersing methods, or Damp-Heat which can be settled with clearing and draining methods. These six types are all diseases caused by Dampness pathogenic factors. Mr. Yu Jiayan proposed "autumn injury by dryness" and published theories on Autumn Dryness. His theory is not erroneous. According to the analysis of the Six Qi, Dampness actually prevails before the Autumn Equinox, while Dryness prevails after the Autumn Equinox; this reasoning is sound. I will tentatively append a section on Autumn Dryness for reference.

Injury by Dampness originates from both exterior and interior causes. When injured on the exterior, it is due to living in dampness, wading in water, or clothes wetted by rain and dew; dampness enters from the outside and binds the body shell. Symptoms include head distension and pain, chest oppression, white and slippery tongue coating, absence of thirst, heavy and painful body, fever with fatigue, clear and profuse urination, and a floating and slow pulse, or a soggy and small pulse. This describes dampness injuring the exterior. When injured on the interior, it is due to a preference for tea and alcohol, and excessive eating of fruits and melons; dampness arises from within and occupies the Spleen organ. Symptoms include slightly yellowish muscles, epigastric discomfort, yellow and greasy tongue coating, thirst without desire to drink, bodily lassitude, slight fever with scanty sweating, short and red urine, and a deep and slow pulse. This describes dampness injuring the interior. Li Shizhen stated: "Wind herbs can overcome dampness, and promoting urination can guide dampness out; these are the principles for treating exterior and interior dampness pathogens." I follow this method: for treating exterior dampness, it is appropriate to use the Acrid-Dispersing Taiyang Method (modified by removing Guizhi Tang's Cinnamon Twig and Fermented Soybean, adding Atractylodis Rhizoma and Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex), allowing the exterior dampness to resolve through slight sweating. For treating interior dampness, it is appropriate to use the Method of Promoting Flow in the Zhou Du (Bladder), allowing interior dampness to exit via urination. In cases of Injury by Dampness, it is essential to distinguish between exterior and interior for treatment, which is the correct approach.

Ni Songting said: The ways to treat dampness are not singular; one must examine carefully and prescribe accordingly. If dampness is in the skin, herbs such as Ephedrae Herba, Cinnamomi Ramulus, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, and Atractylodis Rhizoma should be used to induce sweating, akin to how cloudy weather does not clear without rain. Some use wind herbs like Qianghuo, Saposhnikoviae Radix, and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix to overcome dampness, akin to how a refreshing breeze dissipates dampness. If water-dampness accumulates in the intestines and stomach causing abdominal swelling, herbs such as Kansui Radix, Kansui Root (Jingzhe), Genkwa Flos, and Pharbitidis Semen should be used to purge downwards, akin to how a full canal requires drainage to empty. If Cold-Dampness resides between muscles and bones causing spasms and pain, or numbness and insensitivity, herbs such as Zingiberis Rhizoma, Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, Eugeniae Flos, and Cinnamomi Cortex should be used to warm the meridians, akin to how the sun at its zenith dries dampness. If dampness is inside the zang-fu organs but outside the skin, being mild and not severe, herbs such as Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Atractylodis Rhizoma, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, and Pinelliae Tuber should be used to strengthen the spleen and dry dampness, akin to how slight dampness is dried by ash and soil. If dampness is in the Small Intestine and Bladder causing edema, thirst, or urinary obstruction, herbs such as Poria, Polyporus, Plantaginis Seed, and Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (or similar draining herbs) should be used to seep and drain, akin to how overflowing irrigation ditches require疏通 (clearing) of outlets to flow properly. If practitioners can thoroughly master these principles, their methods for treating dampness will surely hit the target.

I note: This discussion serves as an outline for treating dampness; physicians must not neglect it!