Menstruation already brings considerable inconvenience to women each month, and the addition of dysmenorrhea makes many women dread their periods. Dysmenorrhea is classified into primary and secondary types. It not only causes abdominal pain but may also lead to nausea or even fainting. So, how can dysmenorrhea be treated? Medicinal cuisine is an excellent approach.
Clinical Manifestations of Dysmenorrhea
1.Primary dysmenorrhea is most common during adolescence, typically occurring within 1-2 years after menarche.
2. Pain often begins with the onset of menstruation, appearing as early as 12 hours before the period starts. It peaks on the first day of menstruation and usually subsides after 2-3 days. The pain is typically cramping, located in the lower abdomen above the pubic bone, and may radiate to the lumbar-sacral region and inner thighs.
3. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and fatigue. Severe cases may present with pallor and cold sweats.
4. Gynecological examinations reveal no abnormalities.
Egg-Based Medicinal Recipes for Dysmenorrhea Treatment
I. Motherwort Hawthorn Egg Formula
Ingredients: 30g motherwort, 15g hawthorn,5g safflower, 2 eggs, and appropriate amount of brown sugar. Place all ingredients except brown sugar into a pot with sufficient water. Simmer until eggs are cooked. Remove eggs and herbal residue, reserving the liquid. Peel eggs, add them along with brown sugar to the herbal liquid, and simmer for another 10 minutes.Consume the eggs and drink the broth once daily. This formula promotes blood circulation, dispels blood stasis, regulates menstruation, and alleviates pain.
Suitable for those with qi stagnation and blood stasis causing dysmenorrhea due to impaired menstrual flow. Symptoms include lower abdominal distension and pain one or two days before or during menstruation, aversion to pressure, scanty menstrual flow, dark purple menstrual blood with clots, dark purple tongue with possible petechiae, and a string-like, slippery pulse.
II. Ginger, Cinnamon, Mugwort, and Egg Decoction
Ingredients: 15g ginger, 10g cinnamon bark, 10g mugwort, 2 eggs, brown sugar to taste. Place all ingredients except brown sugar into a pot with sufficient water. Simmer until eggs are cooked. Remove eggs and herbal residue, reserving the liquid. Peel eggs, add them back to the liquid with brown sugar, and simmer for another 10 minutes.Consume the eggs and drink the broth once daily. This formula warms the meridians, dispels cold, warms the uterus, and alleviates pain.
Suitable for menstrual pain caused by exposure to rain or cold during menstruation, excessive consumption of cold foods, cold stagnation in the uterus, and impaired blood flow. Symptoms include cold pain in the lower abdomen several days before or during menstruation, relieved by warmth; scanty menstrual flow with dark purple blood and clots; or aversion to cold with body aches.
III. Astragalus, Angelica, and Chicken Blood Vine Egg Decoction
Ingredients: 20g roasted Astragalus membranaceus, 20g Angelica sinensis, 20g Chicken Blood Vine, 2 eggs, and brown sugar to taste.Place all ingredients except brown sugar into a pot with sufficient water. Simmer until eggs are cooked. Remove eggs and herbal residue, reserving the liquid. Peel eggs, then add them along with brown sugar to the herbal liquid. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Consume eggs and drink the broth once daily. This formula tonifies qi, nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, and alleviates pain.
Suitable for those with constitutional weakness, deficiency of both qi and blood, inadequate nourishment of the Chong and Ren meridians and uterine vessels, and impaired qi and blood circulation leading to dysmenorrhea. Symptoms include dull lower abdominal pain one or two days after menstruation or during menstruation, relieved by massage, scanty menstrual flow with pale color and thin consistency, accompanied by sallow complexion, palpitations, insomnia, and fatigue.