🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Section One: Menstrual Disorders
Menstrual disorders refer to abnormalities in menstrual cycle, duration, volume, color, or consistency, or symptoms occurring alongside the menstrual cycle. Common conditions include: early menstruation, delayed menstruation, irregular menstruation, excessive menstruation, scanty menstruation, prolonged menstruation, intermenstrual bleeding, metrorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, vertigo during menstruation, diarrhea during menstruation, edema during menstruation, urticaria during menstruation, breast distension during menstruation, headache during menstruation, body pain during menstruation, emotional disturbances during menstruation, and various symptoms around menopause.
One, Early Menstruation
Early menstruation refers to menstruation occurring more than 7 days earlier than usual, or even every ten days. It is also called "premature menstruation," "early menstrual period," or "early onset." If menstruation only comes 3–5 days earlier without other obvious symptoms, it falls within normal range.
This condition arises primarily from qi deficiency or blood heat. Qi normally controls blood; qi deficiency leads to loss of control, weakening of Chong and Ren meridians; blood heat causes blood to flow freely and overflow, resulting in instability of the Blood Sea, both leading to early menstruation. Common folk remedies for early menstruation are listed below.
[Formula One]
Ginseng 6 grams, jujube 15 pieces, rice 30 grams. Remove seeds from jujubes, boil with the other two ingredients into congee, consume one dose daily for several consecutive days.
This formula suits early menstruation due to qi deficiency, characterized by heavy flow, pale color, thin consistency, fatigue, and weakness.
[Formula Two]
Ginseng 10 grams, pure black-boned chicken 1 bird, a little salt. Soak ginseng soft, slice, place inside chicken cavity, put in clay pot, add salt, steam over water until chicken is tender. Eat meat and drink soup, consume 2–3 times daily.
This formula especially benefits early menstruation due to qi deficiency with clear, thin discharge.
[Formula Three]
Ten eggs, ginseng, astragalus, red dates, each 20 grams, fried licorice 6 grams, angelica, white atractylodes, each 9 grams, cimicifuga, bupleurum, each 5 grams, tangerine peel 9 grams, ginger 15 grams, sugar 600 grams, baking soda 2 grams. Process ginseng, astragalus, angelica, cimicifuga, tangerine peel, ginger, fried licorice, white atractylodes, bupleurum, red dates—remove impurities, dry, and grind into fine powder. Beat eggs in a bowl using an egg beater until frothy, add sugar and continue beating until thoroughly mixed. Add flour and herbal powder, baking soda, continue beating until uniform. Line steamer tray with fine paper, pour egg mixture evenly, steam for about 10 minutes, remove, flip onto board, cut into 20 rectangular blocks.
This formula not only treats early menstruation but also effective for uterine prolapse, fatigue, and chronic diarrhea with rectal prolapse in women.
[Formula Four]
Ginseng 6 grams, astragalus 30 grams, jujube 15 pieces, lotus seed (without heart) 60 grams, rice 60 grams. First, decoct ginseng and astragalus with 1000 ml clean water over low heat to obtain 200 ml of liquid, strain. Remove seeds from jujubes, combine with lotus seeds and rice, cook into porridge. One dose daily, can be used continuously for one week.
This formula shows good efficacy for early menstruation caused by qi deficiency.
[Formula Five]
Fresh celery and fresh lotus root slices, each 120 grams, vegetable oil 15 grams, a little salt. Wash celery and lotus root, cut celery into 1-inch pieces. Heat wok over high flame, add oil, stir-fry celery and lotus root, add salt, stir-fry for 5 minutes, then add flavoring as needed.
One serving, can be consumed continuously for 3–5 days.
This formula applies to early menstruation caused by internal heat.
[Formula Six]
Pig trotters 1 pair, madder root 30 grams, jujubes 10 pieces. Clean pig trotters, remove hair, wrap madder root in gauze bag, tie tightly, wash jujubes, boil all three together. After cooking, remove the herb bag and consume.
This formula applies to various bleeding conditions caused by uncontrolled blood heat.
[Formula Seven]
Clam meat 250 grams, winter melon 500 grams, seasonings as needed. Soak clam meat briefly with a little ginger juice. Peel and remove pulp from winter melon, cut into slices. Boil winter melon seeds (pips) for 20 minutes, discard seeds, keep juice. Add winter melon slices, cook for 5–10 minutes, add clam meat, stir-fry with yellow wine, boil for another 3 minutes, season with salt, monosodium glutamate, scallions, drizzle with sesame oil, serve as meal.
This formula applies to early menstruation due to blood heat.
[Formula Eight]
Artemisia annua, peony bark, each 6 grams, tea leaves 3 grams, rock sugar 15 grams. Wash herbs, place in teacup, steep with freshly boiled water for 15–20 minutes, add rock sugar and dissolve. Drink like tea, no fixed quantity or timing.
This formula clears liver heat and cools blood, suitable for early menstruation due to liver stagnation and blood heat.
[Formula Nine]
Dried persimmon leaf, cypress leaf, Scutellaria baicalensis, each 9 grams. Dry and grind into fine powder, 3 grams each time, take with warm water.
This formula clears liver heat, cools blood, stops bleeding, applicable to various cases of early menstruation due to blood heat.
[Formula Ten]
Shepherd’s purse 250 grams, tofu 100 grams, seasonings as needed. Cut tofu into small cubes, blanch in boiling water, drain and place in dish. Blanch shepherd’s purse briefly, cool, chop finely, sprinkle over tofu, add salt and MSG, mix well, drizzle with sesame oil. Serve as a meal.
This formula cools liver and stops bleeding, suitable for excessive menstruation due to liver stagnation and blood heat.
[Formula Eleven]
Phellodendron amurense 15 grams, Lycium barbarum 12 grams, Eclipta prostrata 12 grams, prepared Polygonum multiflorum 15 grams, Rubus idaeus 10 grams, Angelica sinensis (root) 10 grams, Paeonia lactiflora 10 grams, raw Rehmannia glutinosa 24 grams, peony bark 10 grams, raw Sanguisorba officinalis 15 grams, donkey-hide gelatin (melted and added) 10 grams, charred cypress leaf 12 grams. Decoct and drink, one dose daily, divided into two servings.
This formula is a clinical experience prescription by renowned old TCM physician Xiao Xü.
[Formula Twelve]
Scutellaria baicalensis and Gardenia jasminoides, each 10 grams; Ophiopogon japonicus and Paeonia lactiflora, each 12 grams; Poria cocos 15 grams; Alisma orientale 9 grams; Rhubarb (wine-processed) and Cimicifuga foetida, each 1 gram. Decoct in water. Begin taking medicine on the 5th day after menstruation ends, continue for 7–15 doses. If menstruation occurs during treatment, stop immediately. Resume on the 5th day after menstruation ends. Can be used continuously for three menstrual cycles.
This formula is a clinical experience prescription by Ma Aihua from Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating early menstruation.
[Formula Thirteen]
Asparagus cochinchinensis (with skin, 50 grams); if using fresh, 150 grams; red sugar as needed. Wash Asparagus, add about 1000 ml water, decoct to 500 ml, add red sugar, boil until dissolved. Take warm once daily, continue for several days.
This formula applies to early menstruation due to kidney yin deficiency.
[Formula Fourteen]
Turtle (50 grams, one piece), donkey-hide gelatin 30 grams. Clean turtle, remove internal organs and head, stew gently in clay pot until tender. Remove shell, dry slowly over low heat, grind into fine powder, pack 3 grams per portion for standby use. Add a little salt to turtle broth as seasoning. Dissolve donkey-hide gelatin (10 grams) in hot broth, mix with 3 grams of shell powder, take twice daily, eat all turtle meat and broth.
This formula applies to early menstruation due to yin deficiency.
[Formula Fifteen]
Rehmannia glutinosa (raw) 30 grams, rice 30–60 grams. Wash Rehmannia, slice, decoct twice with clean water, collect total juice of 100 ml. Cook rice into porridge, when about 80% cooked, add the decoction and continue cooking until fully done. Eat the porridge, can be taken continuously for several days.
This formula applies to early menstruation caused by deficiency heat.
<Treatment of Menstrual Disorders>