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With edema, the natural instinct is to get rid of the water, but how?

If the patient’s body is showing signs of cold, then it’s less complicated. We use the 温阳利水 method, where warm herbs are used to bring about diuresis, while also addressing the patients yang-deficient state.

If the patient’s body is showing sign of heat and/or dryness, then it’s more complicated. Why?

• For diuresis: The simplest way to induce diuresis is via warm herbs. BUT when you tonify yang with warm herbs, it will be at the expense of yin. Put simply, warm herbs are usually drying, and a heaty body which tends toward dryness doesn’t need more heat.
• For yin-deficiency: The yin-deficiency needs to be addressed too. But If you tonify yin, it doesn’t help get rid of the water, in fact it helps the water remain (“滋阴能助湿”)

The best solution is to use 甘寒淡渗-type herbs.

• For diuresis, that means 淡渗利水 herbs: 猪苓、茯苓、泽泻、车前草（which can 清热解毒 too)
• For yin-deficiency, that means甘寒 but not too heavy/sticky/滋腻: 沙参、麦冬、楮实子、干地黄
• And herbs that clear heat while inducing diuresis are useful too: 芦根、茅根

The above ideas for herb usage is applicable (according to the textbook) for ascites, lower limb or whole body edema IN CASES WHERE the patient is yin-deficient.