“Ouch!” Mary got her ass kicked by her regular menstruation. It just feels like being beaten up by a bunch of mobs, aching all over her head and her belly, only to make her overstressed working days worse.
“ When will it stop?” Sherry previously presumed that her menstruation would end five days ago, yet it continues to torment Sherry, as if a stalker who just won’t quit. Blood drips slowly everyday and there seems no end to it.
“ What the… how come I suddenly feel dizzy the second I stand up from my chair.” Beyanka has had some massive bleeding during her menstruation these days. She often feels a strong sense of dizziness every time she stands up and heads for the restroom. She then has to lean on her table and rest for a while before she can do anything.
Nearly once a month, almost every female has to suffer from all the discomforts resulting from menstruation: headache, dull pain at lower abdomen, diarrhea , low back soreness, anemia, etc. Whether the menstruation occurs early or late on schedule differs from person to person. The total amount of blood bleeding out and the presence or absence of leucorrhea also differs from person to person.
We Chinese Medicine Physicians presume that menstrual pain has three common causes: The first is overwhelming liver fire. The second is blood stasis, and the third is Freeze and Dampness combined.
黃帝內經（Huang Di Nei Jing，ancient documents of yellow emperor)says that liver is like a general at battlefield in command of many things. In Chinese Medicine physiology, liver corresponds to element wood, and it favors smooth and fluent. It’s responsible for the qi to flow smooth and fluent in human bodies. If the liver qi gets blocked, it would be obstructed in the chest and leads to stagnation. Stagnation usually occurs to people who tend to think too much, lacking flexibility or being too stubborn. On the other hand, people having a big temper or always rushing from one place to another, tend to have overflowing qi, which eventually leads to the ignition of liver fire.
龍膽瀉肝湯（Long Dan Xie Gan Tang）can put out liver fire quickly like a fire extinguisher, thanks to the herbs having freezing attribute inside it such as
黃芩（Huang Chin，Roots of (Scutellaria baicalnsis Geprgi)）、
梔子（Chi Ts，Ripe fruits of (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis)）、
龍膽草（Long Dan grass，Roots of (Gentiana scabra Bge.) (Gentiana triflora Pall.) or (Gentiana manshurica Kitag.)）.
As for liver qi stagnation, we’ve got
柴胡（Chai Who，Roots of (Bupleurum chinensis DC) and (Bupleurum scorznerifolium Willd))
to break through all the obstruction, as if sorting intertwined cable lines.
黃帝內經（Huang Di Nei Jing，ancient documents of yellow emperor)says that meridians circulate around human bodies endlessly.
If the Freeze gets inside the meridians, it would cause obstructions and resulting pain. If the Freeze surrounds the outer perimeter of the meridians, it would cause the insufficiency of blood.
To put those above mentioned into plain English:
Blood stasis is a condition which blood can’t flow smoothly, usually caused by the invasion of Freeze, symptoms including pain.
膈下逐瘀湯（Ge Sha Tsu U Tang)is a good prescription aimed for blood stasis. It includes tons of herbs which can stimulate the blood flow profoundly such as
桃仁（Tao Ren，Seeds of (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) or (P.davidiana (Carr.Franch.)）、
紅花（Red Flower，Flowers of (Carthamus tinctorius L.)）、
川芎（Tsuang Chong，Rhizomes of (Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.)）
The 香附（Shiang Fu，Rhizomes of (Cyperus rotundus L.)）inside has the similar function as 柴胡（Chai Who，Roots of (Bupleurum chinensis DC) and (Bupleurum scorznerifolium Willd)) to deal with liver qi stagnation.
.jpg)
Last but not least, Freeze and Dampness are all part of the Six Devils. We Chinese Medicine physicians define the Six Devils as the common exterior pathogens invading human bodies, which are Wind, Freeze, Heat, Dampness, Dryness and Fire.
When the Freeze and Dampness cooperate to attack a female body during menstruation, they could cause symptoms like lower abdomen pain, soreness and chilling feeling at lower back, low in amount of menstrual secretion with pale colors. The Hand Pulse of the patient would be Deep. Prescription
溫經湯（Wen Gin Tang) from 傷寒論（Shan Han Lun，Bible of Chinese Medicine）can deal with the situation. The warm herbs inside such as
桂枝（Giu Tsu，Branches of (Cinnamomum cassia Presl)）
吳茱萸（Wu Tsu U，Fruits of (Evodia rutoecarpa (Juss.) Benth.) 、 (E. rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. var. officinalis (Dode) Huang) or(E. rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. var. bodinieri (Dode) Huang)）
are like good partners. Together they could fight off the Freeze and Dampness, bringing warmth to the human body.
The herbs 當歸（Dang Gui，Roots of (Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels)）
人參（Ginseng，Roots of (Panax ginseng C. A. Mey.)）
can supplement the human body with qi and blood like batteries , bringing huge amounts of energy.
The herbs
麥門冬（Mai Men Dong，Roots of (Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f.) Ker-Gawl.)）
阿膠（Ah Jiao，Skin of (Equus asinus L.)）
can supplement human body with yin, which is the substance forming all parts of our bodies.
Yin and qi(yang) are like opposite concepts. Yin is substance, solid, and descending. Qi( Yang) is functional, vivid, and ascending. We Chinese Medicine Physicians seek balance in these two counterparts, supporting the weak while diminishing the excessive.
