Western medicine primarily addresses dysmenorrhea symptomatically, while Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) employs syndrome differentiation for holistic regulation. For adolescent dysmenorrhea beyond primary dysmenorrhea, treatments often involve tonifying qi and nourishing blood, warming meridians and promoting blood circulation, and resolving stasis to alleviate pain. Formulas like Danggui Buxue Tang, Bazhen Tang, and Shi Quan Da Bu Tang, modified with herbs such as Leonurus, Artemisia argyi, and Cyperus rotundus, yield satisfactory results.Here are two medicinal recipes for adolescent dysmenorrhea that may benefit girls with qi and blood deficiency.
Traditional Chinese Medicinal Recipes for Treating Dysmenorrhea Due to Qi and Blood Deficiency in Females
1. One young pigeon (approx. 300g), slaughtered, plucked, gutted, and split open. Wash thoroughly. Place inside the pigeon: 8 red dates, 10g Angelica sinensis (Danggui),Steam over water until tender, then add brown sugar before serving. Consume once weekly.
2. One black hen (approx. 1000g), slaughtered, plucked, gutted, and washed. Place 10g astragalus, 10g codonopsis,6 red dates, and an appropriate amount of ginger into the chicken cavity. Add sufficient water and steam over boiling water—first on high heat, then low heat—until tender. Consume once a week.
This medicinal diet shows some efficacy, but dietary and lifestyle habits must be observed. First, prioritize adequate nutrition during adolescence. Avoid restrictive dieting to maintain a slender figure, as this is highly detrimental to developing girls;Second, maintain menstrual hygiene. Keep warm during menstruation, avoid wading in water, getting caught in the rain, or feeling chilled, and take precautions against colds. Third, maintain a cheerful spirit and pleasant mood, avoiding excessive fatigue from studies or work. 3. Deer Antler, Chinese Yam, and Bamboo-Thread Chicken Soup Ingredients: 4g deer antler, 40g Chinese yam, 120g bamboo-thread chicken.
Preparation: Rinse deer antler and Chinese yam. Remove skin from bamboo-thread chicken, rinse, cut into pieces, and boil in hot water for 5 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold water. Place all ingredients in a double boiler, add sufficient boiling water, and simmer over low heat for 2–3 hours. Serve hot.
Indications: This soup warms and strengthens kidney yang while astringing and stopping leukorrhea.Deer antler is a potent tonic for kidney yang, nourishing essence and blood. It is commonly used to treat kidney yang deficiency, essence and blood depletion, lower back soreness, cold limbs, excessive vaginal discharge, uterine coldness causing infertility, and clear, prolonged urination. 4. Herbal Salt Prepare approximately 500g coarse salt (coarse sea salt may be used), add 15–30g safflower,and 15–30 grams of Curcuma zedoaria. Dry-fry in an iron pan for about 10 minutes until the salt turns yellow and becomes hot. Transfer the herbal salt mixture into a thick cotton cloth bag and tie it securely. Place the bag on the Shenque acupoint at the center of the abdomen and the Zigu acupoints on both sides of the abdomen. This method helps unblock meridians, promote blood circulation, dispel blood stasis, warm the meridians, and dispel cold.
Begin this herbal salt compress therapy one week before menstruation. Apply for approximately 30 minutes per session, 2–3 times daily. The herbal salt can be reheated by stir-frying or microwaving, though dry-frying in an iron pan yields best results. When reusing, replace the herbs if their dispersing aroma significantly diminishes or disappears. Replace coarse salt when its grains become finely ground after multiple uses.
Important Note: Discontinue use immediately if redness, itching, or rashes appear during application. Seek medical attention if dysmenorrhea is severe or shows no improvement with the above treatment.
Foods to Avoid During Menstruation
Beyond ice cream, avoid cooling foods like ice desserts, winter melon, eggplant, loofah, cucumber, crab, snails, kelp, bamboo shoots, oranges, pears, grapefruit, watermelon, and sour/astringent foods such as sour plums or unripe acidic fruits.
Spicy and heating foods like fried items, chili peppers, black pepper, and mustard should also be avoided during menstruation to prevent blood stagnation.
Foods to Increase During Menstruation
During menstruation, increase intake of scallion whites, wood ear mushrooms, peanuts, walnuts, red dates, longan, and rose petals. Dr. Liu advises that if cold foods are accidentally consumed during menstruation, or if one cannot resist eating ice, drinking ginger boiled with brown sugar can help balance blood circulation and promote smooth blood flow.
Traditional Chinese medicine discourages women from consuming ice during menstruation, while Western medicine holds no such restrictions.
Menstrual blood consists of shed uterine lining expelled through uterine contractions. Consuming ice lowers gastrointestinal temperature, impairing uterine contractions and hindering blood flow. This leads to blood clots forming, forcing the uterus to contract more forcefully to expel them—a potential cause of menstrual cramps.Western medicine does not prohibit any foods, even permitting ice consumption during postpartum confinement. While ice may trigger uterine contractions and menstrual pain, the body's natural mechanisms can expel these clots, so women need not be overly concerned. However, if excessive menstrual pain occurs after eating ice, consult an OB/GYN to rule out other potential conditions.