When deodorant just doesn’t cut it – here’s why.

Our TCM Doctor Peter Haxell explains the confusing and highly uncomfortable issue of excess sweat. We’re talking the type of excess sweat that does not make sense. Maybe you’ve just had a shower, put on some deodorant – and yet your pits are wet 5 minutes later. Perhaps your extremities are cold, you don’t feel overly warm, yet your pits are still sweating.

It’s incredibly frustrating when you sweat excessively and often, it does not make sense.

Let’s delve deeper with what causes excess sweat from a TCM perspective and better yet, how to resolve it.

“Sweat is the fluid of the heart in Chinese medicine, the organ responsible for helping to regulate body temperature, as well as having a strong involvement in sleep and emotional stability. This is why those who suffer from anxiety often notice sweaty palms or night sweats when anxious, as blood flow and sweat is circulated to the extremities as the nervous system switches to flight or fight mode. 

Sweat is also linked to the digestive system in Chinese medicine, particularly the stomach and intestines. Imbalance of the stomach and intestines often occurs due to an intake of food or medicines (think supplements/antibiotics) that damage digestive function. 

What does this damage cause? This leads to damp and damp-heat.

Meaning that fluids in the body stop circulating and begin to heat up. Think issues such as inflammation and fluid retention and this then will lead to a ‘sweat’as the body tries to release some heat and fluids. 

In extreme cases the sweat can be oily or greasy – showing a lot of dysfunction. In this instance, the sweat is more likely to smell and cause body odour. More over this type of extreme sweat stains clothes and sheets. Note that this pattern can even lead to night sweats- particularly with broken sleep between 1-5am. Additionally excess heat and restlessness at night, as well as signs of bloating, constipation or diarrhoea. Other signs of this extreme imbalance are reflux, indigestion or heartburn. 

How then, can we stop sweating? Well, we have multiple options.

Firstly, for addressing digestive health as the primary reason for excess sweating; TinyTea.

Digestive Herbs, formerly known as Tiny Tea is your first go-to of our blends as it addresses the root cause of the issue; restoring digestive function to enable fluids to be circulated around the body normally. Digestive Herbs, aids to release any heat due to stagnation and in turn reduces excess sweating.

If your body is holding excess heat, then the most applicable blend from our range is Sleep Tea.

The slightly cooling and calming formula of herbs in Sleep Tea help to restore normal circulation. The body needs to cool by circulating warm blood from the exterior of the body to the internal organs so that we can fall asleep. As this process occurs the body no longer tries to release its own heat by sweating.

The beauty of Sleep Tea is that it cools the body gently. Meaning that it won’t cool digestion to the point of dysfunction. 

Ultimately, achieving balance in the body is required to address the issue of excess sweating. 

Until then, the issue of excess sweat remains uncomfortable and frustrating to say the least!

Yours in balance,
Your Tea.

Image by Sarah Goodman