🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Time flows, and though modern humanity has entered the highly advanced 21st century, we still constantly feel the wisdom and blessings of our ancestors. Particularly profound is the TCM concept of yin-yang, which permeates all existence—from living beings to the cosmos. Everything follows yin-yang: males are yang, females are yin; outer epidermis and dermis are yang, subcutaneous fat is yin; male hormones are yang, female hormones are yin—everything can be categorized by yin and yang.
Anciently, beauty treatment was called "changing appearance" (*Yi Rong Shu*). The character "Yi" combines "sun" above and "moon" below, symbolizing the changing interplay of yin and yang. Thus, "changing appearance" essentially means balancing yin and yang—to erase signs of aging and transform one’s look. In this sense, traditional Chinese cosmetic medicine is fundamentally about regulating yin and yang. Based on the natural and bodily yin-yang fluctuations across different periods, it employs methods like supplementing yang with yin, supplementing yin with yang, draining yin to supplement yang, or draining yang to supplement yin—achieving internal-external balance, preserving youthfulness, enhancing beauty, and prolonging life.
According to yin-yang theory, women are water-based, belong to Kun (earth), and are inherently yin. They rely on blood, so female beauty care must consider their high estrogen levels, thicker subcutaneous fat, and thinner epidermis—characteristics of yin dominance and yang deficiency. Thus, treatment should primarily nourish yin and enrich blood. However, yin-yang theory also stresses that nothing is purely yin or yang. Yin and yang are interdependent, mutually supportive, interactive, and coexist—yin contains yang, yang contains yin. Therefore, female beauty care must also recognize the "yin body with yang function, yin containing yang" aspect. Never ignore the interconnection between yin and yang. Instead, adjust organically and reasonably according to the fluctuating yin-yang balance in different stages to maintain relative equilibrium.
During puberty, massive sex hormone secretion accelerates physical development, making yang energy extremely vigorous. Thus, TCM describes the body at this stage as a "pure yang body." Even females, as inherently yin, may have relatively high levels of male (androgen) hormones. Influenced by genetics, nutrition, and mental stress, this period is most prone to yin-yang imbalance.
Some adolescent girls, due to higher androgen levels or lower estrogen levels, experience sebaceous gland hyperplasia and excessive sebum production, triggering acne. This explains why acne is common in adolescence. Those with acne, especially with excessive body hair, often exhibit yin deficiency and yang excess, with abundant internal heat. Treatment should primarily calm yang and moderately nourish yin to restore hormonal balance.
For women with high androgen levels (yang excess), internal use of "Erpi Siwu Tang" (Lycium bark, white peony root bark, red peony root, raw rehmannia, red peony root, angelica, ligusticum, achyranthes) to clear heat and cool blood is recommended. Treatment usually begins 12–15 days after menstruation ends (the high-temperature phase of the cycle), taken twice daily for 6–9 doses, continuing for three menstrual cycles. If accompanied by excessive body hair (indicating high androgen and excessive yang), increase yin-nourishing and yang-calming efforts with "Baiyu Shenghua Tang" (raw rehmannia, fish mint, purple gromwell, asparagus, trichosanthes root, dendrobium, calcined oyster shell, scrophularia, white flower snake tongue grass, tangerine peel, anemarrhena, stir-fried phellodendron) to nourish yin, clear heat, and reduce fire.
After puberty, the body matures, but during young adulthood, physiological changes from sexual activity, marriage, and childbirth, along with psychological stress from society and family, cause dramatic fluctuations in the nervous and endocrine systems—entering a "troubled period." This easily triggers hormonal and endocrine imbalance, manifesting as reduced skin moisture, weakened collagen and elastin fibers, and issues like allergies, pigmentation, and wrinkles.
TCM identifies the primary cause of such decline in young adult women as progressive depletion of yin-blood (falling estrogen levels). Thus, after puberty, besides using skincare products with high water content and aqueous structure to externally hydrate the skin, the most important step is addressing the core issue: deficiency of yin-blood in young adults. This requires strengthening the spleen, nourishing yin-blood, and replenishing body fluids. Only comprehensive internal and external regulation can preserve and maintain internal yin-fluid (moisture) levels, delaying aging. At this stage, use "Jinshui Liujun Jian" (Angelica, Rehmannia glutinosa, Poria, Licorice, Pinellia, Tangerine peel) combined with "Dabuyin Wan" (Phellodendron, Anemarrhena, Rehmannia glutinosa, Tortoise Shell), adjusted as needed, to treat and supplement yin-blood deficiency. Best taken from the end of menstruation to ovulation (the low-temperature phase of the cycle).
Post-menopause, with overall functional decline, hormone and nutrient levels drop sharply. Skin becomes dehydrated, oily, visibly shriveled, dry, aged, and loses transparency. Thus, skin aging in post-menopausal women stems from deficiency of essence and blood, imbalance of Chong and Ren meridians, and dual yin-yang deficiency. Treatment differs from that in puberty (nourishing yin, calming yang) or young adulthood (nourishing yin, generating fluids). Post-menopause focuses on regulating Chong and Ren meridians, replenishing essence and blood, and balancing yin and yang. Use "Erxian Tang" (Cnidium, Epimedium, Angelica, Morinda, Phellodendron, Anemarrhena) combined with "Dabuyin Wan" (Phellodendron, Anemarrhena, Rehmannia glutinosa, Tortoise Shell) to nourish skin and delay aging.
Pregnancy is a unique physiological stage in a woman’s life. Fetal growth alters maternal endocrine function, affecting appearance. For example, melanocytes stimulated by estrogen and progesterone produce pigment, causing darkening in areas like nipples, armpits, abdomen, genitalia, anus, and inner thighs. Brown or coffee-colored spots may appear on cheeks, nose, forehead, and around the mouth, sometimes merging into butterfly-shaped patches. These spots typically fade naturally after delivery as hormones normalize. In early pregnancy, progesterone increases sebum production, causing some women to develop or worsen acne.
These skin changes during pregnancy result from fetal development. The fetus, formed from parental essence and blood, embodies heavenly and earthly energies. More importantly, it is in a rapid growth phase with intense cell division, so TCM calls it a "pure yang body." Thus, despite the mother being yin, she carries a pure yang entity—like holding a "fire within the womb." This creates yin with internal yang fire. Pregnancy-related pigmentation and acne stem from this "fetal fire" ascending. Especially from the fifth month onward, as the fetus grows larger, the "fetal fire" intensifies, making skin drier and rougher.
Since pregnant women carry "fetal fire," traditional Chinese medicine holds: "Pre-natal care should be cooling, not warming; postnatal care should be warming, not cooling." Thus, prenatal skincare and beauty should follow this principle—using cooling, yin-nourishing, harmonizing herbs to clear fetal fire and nourish maternal yin. Recommended formulas include "Zuojin Wan" (Coptis, Evodia) to clear liver fire and reduce heat, and "Sanxian Tang" (fresh reed rhizome, fresh dendrobium, fresh rehmannia) combined with "Shengmai San" (Ginseng, Ophiopogon, Schisandra) to generate yin, replenish fluids, and achieve sun protection, hydration, spot reduction, and skin softening.