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Adzuki bean water for puffiness 赤小豆利水
De-bloat & Puffiness 消胀·消水肿 traditional evidenceWhat the evidence says:
The 药典 indication for 赤小豆 is oedema, swelling, jaundice and damp-heat sores. Traditional use. Both beans are food and very safe; neither is a treatment for oedema with a medical cause.
The 药典 indication for 赤小豆 is oedema, swelling, jaundice and damp-heat sores. Traditional use. Both beans are food and very safe; neither is a treatment for oedema with a medical cause.
How to make it
Simmer 30 g 赤小豆 with 30 g 薏苡仁 in 1 L water for 40–60 min. Drink the liquid through the day and eat the beans. A standard Cantonese 祛湿 drink.
Why it works
High-fibre, high-potassium legumes with a genuinely diuretic fluid load — the puffiness effect is mostly water and sodium balance, which is real but modest and temporary.
Classical source
赤小豆 is 中品 in the Shennong Bencao Jing — 主下水，排癰腫膿血.
Cautions: Very safe as food. Theoretical caution alongside prescription diuretics. Swelling in one leg only, sudden swelling, or swelling with breathlessness needs urgent assessment — those are clot and heart signs, not dampness.