Why Do Women Feel Cold?
With temperatures just dropping to around ten degrees Celsius, female office workers are already complaining of "a bit cold." Guangzhou, though not as bitterly cold as the north, lacks heating systems. By deep winter, many women frequently experience cold hands and feet, fearing the cold. "Every December, when I get into bed at night, I feel the blanket instantly cold. I curl up tightly under thick quilts, yet my feet remain icy all night," says 24-year-old Li Min, who is extremely sensitive to cold but never thought she needed tonics or treatment.
Dr. Li Kun Yin, deputy chief physician of gynecology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, explains that women’s cold sensitivity is more pronounced in northern regions due to geography and climate. TCM teaches: "Yang deficiency leads to external cold." When yang energy is weak, blood and qi are insufficient, defensive yang fails to protect the body, unable to warm muscles against external cold, hence feeling cold. Causes include some women’s innate constitution. Qing Dynasty physicians noted in *Yi Li Ji Yao*: "Those prone to wind diseases have weak exterior qi; those prone to cold diseases have weak yang qi; those prone to heat diseases have deficient yin qi..." indicating women typically have weaker yang energy, making them susceptible to cold intolerance or external cold invasion. Others suffer from chronic illness—such as prolonged heavy menstruation, ectopic pregnancy bleeding, or gastrointestinal disorders causing spleen-stomach weakness and inadequate blood and qi production. Since TCM views qi and blood as interdependent—qi leads blood, blood nourishes qi—blood loss inevitably weakens qi. As qi belongs to yang, qi deficiency manifests as cold intolerance, often accompanied by pale complexion, shortness of breath, fatigue, and reluctance to speak. Whether congenital or acquired, the root is yang deficiency, requiring timely tonification or treatment—especially for girls during development, whose cold extremities and frequent colds can be improved with timely intervention.
How to transform yang-deficient constitution and eliminate cold sensitivity? Dr. Li suggests mild cases begin with dietary therapy. For those with cold limbs, clear leukorrhea, clear urine, frequent nighttime urination, and lower back pain, medical treatment is essential. Late Autumn (Lidong) is the ideal time for tonifying. Dr. Li shares these dietary prescriptions:
Deer Antler Stewed Chicken (a famous formula from Professor Luo Yuankai, renowned TCM gynecologist. Serves one)
Deer antler 2g, goji berries 10g, fresh ginger 3 slices, boneless chicken 50g, stewed with water and consumed.
Explanation: Treats general weakness, yang deficiency, dizziness, cold aversion, sore waist and knees, frequent nocturnal urination, scanty menstruation, and uterine coldness.
Angelica and Lamb Soup
Angelica 20g, ginseng 10g, fresh ginger 10g, astragalus 30g, lamb 300g, stewed with water and consumed.
Explanation: Tonifies qi and blood. Can substitute Jilin red ginseng for ginseng. Not recommended during menstruation due to angelica’s blood-activating properties, which may increase bleeding.
For cases caused by qi and blood deficiency, add blood-nourishing herbs to qi-tonifying regimens. Korean ginseng is the best herb for boosting qi and generating blood. Common alternatives like angelica, rehmannia, donkey-hide gelatin, and black beans also offer effective blood tonification.
Dr. Li concludes: Those needing treatment must not seek unqualified practitioners—visit a reputable TCM hospital. He emphasizes that cold sensitivity cannot be resolved solely by warming herbs; one must also engage in regular exercise, strengthen the body, and enhance adaptability to climate changes and cold resistance.