This occurs when a woman feels severe pain in the lower abdomen before, during or after menstruation. Clinically, such pains can be classified into the 'Excess', and 'Deficiency' type.

Shi (Excess type)

Menses is scanty, and purplish. The patient is depressed, and feels a distending pain in the hypochondrium (area just below the lower ribs). Patient has a wiry pulse, and a dark tongue with a thin coat.

Xu (Deficiency type)

This is subdivided into :

1) The deficiency of Qi, and the blood. The patient feels slight pain in the abdomen due to weakness or illness. The menses is scanty, and thin with thready pulse, pale tongue and thin coating.

2) The deficiency of liver, and kidney. The patient feels slight pain in the abdomen before the menses. This is due to impairment of Chong, and Ren meridiens from over-fertility, and excessive sexual activities which cause feeble blood circulation. Clinically, she has pelvic inflammation, and leucorrhea with lumbago tinnitus, and dizziness. The pulse is deep, and thready. The tongue is pale with a thin/ dry coating.

Chinese Herbs to help ease Period Pains ?

Shi Type

Gruel of Macrostem Onion

Ground Rice, Macrostem onion

- Combine all the ingredients to make gruel (porridge-like).

Amomum Fruit & Lotus Root Powder

Amomum fruit, Aucklandia root

- Ground the two ingredients into powder. Together with the lotus root powder, take the ground powder with sugar after infusing them in boiling water.

Finger Citron & Ginger

Finger Citron, Fresh Ginger

- Simmer in water, remove, and drink the decoction

Peach Kernel Gruel

peach kernel, polished ground rice

- Pound the peach kernels, add water to get its extract. Make thin gruel with the peach kernel extract, and rice.

Raddish : Make sour with raddish, flavor with salt/pepper before serving.

Barley : Grind the barley into rough pieces, then make gruel with the barley. Consume.

Orange : Soak the oranges in water to remove the sour taste. Add honey to make a decoction. Drink in small doses at short intervals.

Xu Type

Mutton Soup with Chinese Angelica Root & Fresh Ginger

Chinese angelica root, mutton, fresh ginger

- Stew the above to make a soup

Black Chicken Soup

1 black chicken, tangerine peel, galangal, pepper, tsaoko, scallion & vinegar

- Combine all the above to make a stew. Preparation is ready when the chicken is cooked.

Chinese Angelica Root & Pig's Liver

Chinese angelica root, pork liver, water

- Bring the ingredients to a boil, and it is ready for consumption.

Mutton Soup with Chinese Prickly Ash & Ginger

fresh ginger, Chinese prickly ash peel a few grains, star anise a few grains

- Make soup with all the ingredients. Ingredients can be eaten

Black Edible Fungus Drink

black edible fungus 6g, sugar to taste

- Boil the ingredients until the fungus are well done. Drink