Brown sugar is a common household ingredient. Traditional Chinese medicine classifies it as warm in nature and sweet in taste, entering the spleen meridian. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that brown sugar harmonizes the spleen, calms the liver, nourishes blood, promotes blood circulation, clears stasis, and facilitates lochia discharge.
Currently, various "functional brown sugars" are available on the market. For example: - Yi Mu (Motherwort) Brown Sugar: Nourishes qi and blood, dispels stasis, regulates menstruation, and alleviates abdominal pain. - Ejiao (Donkey-Hide Gelatin) Brown Sugar: Nourishes yin, harmonizes blood, dispels wind, moistens dryness, and reduces abdominal pain. - Ginger Brown Sugar: Dispels cold, warms the stomach, regulates qi, promotes blood circulation, warms the meridians, and relieves pain. Combining brown sugar with different foods can also achieve various health benefits.
Hawthorn and Cinnamon Brown Sugar Drink:
15g hawthorn fruit, 10g cinnamon twig, 30–50g brown sugar. Simmer hawthorn and cinnamon in water, then stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil and consume. This formula warms meridians, unblocks vessels, dissipates stasis, and alleviates pain, suitable for women with cold-type dysmenorrhea.
Ginger, Jujube, and Brown Sugar Decoction:
10g dried ginger, 30g jujubes, 30g brown sugar. Wash the ginger and jujubes. Slice the ginger and pit the jujubes. Simmer with brown sugar. Drink the liquid and eat the jujubes. This formula warms meridians, dispels cold, and alleviates acute pain, suitable for cold-type dysmenorrhea with vomiting.
Black Bean, Safflower, and Brown Sugar Decoction:
50g black beans, 6g safflower, 30g brown sugar. Decoct the first two ingredients, then add brown sugar. Drink while hot. This formula nourishes the liver and kidneys, promotes blood circulation, and regulates menstruation. Suitable for those with insufficient liver and kidney qi presenting scanty menstrual flow, dark menstrual blood, and painful periods.
Longan, Job's Tears, and Brown Sugar Porridge:
10g dried longan flesh, 30g Job's tears, 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Simmer the first two ingredients into a porridge, add 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and consume once daily. This formula nourishes qi and blood, suitable for those with scanty menstruation and dysmenorrhea due to qi and blood deficiency.