In recent years, the incidence of menstrual cramps among women has shown an upward trend. A survey report by a leading British medical authority indicates that four out of every five women worldwide experience menstrual cramps to varying degrees.When Aunt Flo arrives, women with dysmenorrhea brace for battle. How can menstrual cramps be relieved?
Dysmenorrhea refers to lower abdominal or back pain during menstruation and its surrounding days, sometimes radiating to the sacrum. It recurs with each menstrual cycle. Severe cases may involve nausea, vomiting, cold sweats, numbness in hands and feet, or even fainting, impacting work and daily life.The following 4-step regimen can help alleviate menstrual cramps:
What foods help with menstrual cramps?
1. If cramps are accompanied by premenstrual breast tenderness, dull complexion, dry skin, or constipation, it may indicate qi stagnation and blood stasis. To relieve this type, promote qi circulation and resolve stagnation. A honey-preserved peel mixture made primarily from pomelo peel and dried tangerine peel is an excellent choice.
Peel one pomelo, finely chop the peel, and combine with 60g dried tangerine peel in a clay jar. Add sufficient white wine, steep for 6 hours, then simmer until soft. Stir in 500g honey until blended. Take two spoonfuls morning and evening, or dissolve in water.
2. Premenstrual or menstrual lower abdominal pain with a burning sensation, possibly accompanied by dark red menstrual blood, thick menstrual flow with clots, or yellowish thick vaginal discharge and genital itching during amenorrhea indicate damp-heat accumulation.Moneywort tea and Yinchen Hawthorn tea can drain dampness, invigorate blood, and resolve stasis, making them suitable for women with damp-heat accumulation-type dysmenorrhea.
For Moneywort tea: Combine 20g moneywort and 12g curcuma, wash thoroughly, add water, and decoct. Stir in honey and drink as tea. For Yinchen Hawthorn tea: Combine 20g Yinchen,10g hawthorn berries, and 15g honeysuckle. Simmer all ingredients in a pot with water, then add brown sugar. Drink in portions throughout the day.
3. Women experiencing easy fatigue, menstrual pain that is dull and persistent rather than sharp, along with dizziness or mild headaches, may have qi and blood deficiency. Those with qi and blood deficiency can prepare Angelica sinensis sugar or black bean and jujube soup to alleviate menstrual pain.
Angelica sugar is simple to make: boil 100g angelica root to extract its juice, then simmer with 500g rock sugar until thickened.For the black bean and jujube soup, boil 100g black beans and 50g jujubes into a porridge, then add 20g brown sugar. This is one dose. Begin taking it three days before each menstrual period, one dose daily, for a total of ten doses per treatment cycle.
4. Women who frequently crave cold beverages, experience cold extremities, have scant menstrual flow, and find heat therapy particularly effective during cramps may exhibit cold-凝 blood stasis pattern. This type of dysmenorrhea requires warming the uterine channels, dispelling cold, and promoting blood circulation. Regularly consume star anise and pepper braised beef, and simmer angelica and lamb soup during winter.
Below are two dietary recipes for relieving menstrual cramps:
① Egg, Angelica, and Ginger Soup
Ingredients: 1 egg, 15g angelica root, 5g dried ginger, 15g red dates (pitted), 5g dried tangerine peel, 20ml rice wine.
Preparation: Boil angelica, dried ginger, and tangerine peel in water for 30 minutes. Strain out solids. Beat egg, then add rice wine and red dates to the decoction. Bring to a boil until dates soften. Drink the broth and consume the egg and dates.
Therapeutic Effect: Primarily treats Qi and Blood Deficiency-type Dysmenorrhea: Persistent lower abdominal pain during or after menstruation, alleviated by pressure; pale, thin menstrual blood; pale complexion, fatigue, pale red tongue with thin white coating, weak and fine pulse.
Precautions:
1.Those with excessive heat causing bleeding should avoid Angelica sinensis. Those with excessive dampness causing abdominal distension, loose stools, or pregnant women should use Angelica sinensis with caution.
2. Those with yin deficiency and internal heat, or blood heat causing uncontrolled bleeding, should avoid dried ginger. Dried ginger is incompatible with Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Cynanchum wilfordii root.Brown sugar 30–50g.
Method: Place hawthorn fruit and cinnamon twig in an earthenware pot. Add 2 bowls of water. Simmer over low heat until reduced to 1 bowl. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil.
Therapeutic Effects: Warms meridians, promotes blood circulation, dispels stasis, and alleviates pain. Suitable for women with cold-type dysmenorrhea and lackluster complexion.