Treatment Methods for Postpartum Constipation
Postpartum Constipation
Postpartum constipation refers to hard, difficult bowel movements, infrequent defecation (several days without bowel movement), or painful straining during defecation. This condition arises due to blood loss during delivery, sudden depletion of nutritive blood, and insufficient body fluids failing to moisten the intestines, leading to intestinal dryness and constipation; or yin deficiency with internal fire consuming body fluids, resulting in reduced moisture and poor intestinal lubrication, impairing bowel movement and causing hard stools. Common folk remedies for postpartum constipation are listed below.
[Remedy One]
Dried fungus 30 grams, sea cucumber 20–30 grams, pork intestine 50–200 grams. Wash and cut pork intestine into small pieces, combine with sea cucumber and dried fungus, add sufficient water, cook until tender, season with salt and monosodium glutamate.
This remedy applies to postpartum constipation.
[Remedy Two]
Sunflower seeds 30 grams, glutinous rice 50 grams, honey in appropriate amount. Crush sunflower seeds into paste, mix with glutinous rice and water, simmer gently into porridge, stir in honey, take warm in the morning on an empty stomach and before bedtime, divided into two portions.
This remedy applies to postpartum constipation.
[Remedy Three]
Sweet potato 500 grams, brown sugar in appropriate amount, two slices of ginger. Peel sweet potato, cut into small pieces, add sufficient water, cook until soft, then add brown sugar and ginger, cook briefly, serve as a snack.
This remedy suits both postpartum constipation and elderly intestinal dryness-induced constipation.
[Remedy Four]
Perilla seed 10 grams, hemp seed 15 grams, rice 50–100 grams. Crush perilla seed and hemp seed, add water, grind, filter juice, mix with rice to cook porridge, eat freely.
This remedy applies to postpartum constipation.
[Remedy Five]
Black sesame 150 grams, rock sugar 150 grams, rice 100 grams, one piece of sugared orange cake. Wash and stir-fry sesame until fragrant, soak rice for one hour, mix with sesame, add water, grind into slurry, boil rock sugar in water, reduce to low heat, gradually add sesame-rice slurry, stir continuously until thick paste forms, sprinkle with finely chopped orange cake.
This remedy applies to postpartum dry heat constipation and similar conditions.
[Remedy Six]
Toasted Platycladus seed 15 grams. Toast seed until fragrant, lightly crush, steep in boiling water, cover tightly, drink as tea.
This remedy applies to postpartum intestinal dryness constipation.
[Remedy Seven]
Apricot kernel, white glutinous rice, each 6 grams. Soak apricot kernels briefly in boiling water, peel off skin and tip, mix with rice, grind into paste, add appropriate sugar, cook until done, drink as tea, once daily. Applies to postpartum blood dryness and fluid deficiency causing constipation.
[Remedy Eight]
Hemp seed 10 grams, rice 10 grams. Crush hemp seed, mix with water, filter juice, cook with rice into porridge, eat freely.
This remedy applies to postpartum blood deficiency constipation.
[Remedy Nine]
One hen, Dang Gui 30 grams, fermented grain juice 60 grams. Clean chicken, remove feathers and internal organs, wash Dang Gui to remove dust, place chicken in clay pot, add water, fermented grain juice, Dang Gui, ginger, green onion, salt, cover tightly, bring to boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for three hours. Remove from pot, sprinkle with ground white pepper, serve with meals.
<Treatment of Postpartum Constipation>