Menoxenia in TCM (Traditional
Chinese Medicine) refers to the disorders in menstrual cycle and period, and abnormalities
in the amount, color and nature of menstrual blood. In this category of disorders,
the commonest are preceded menstrual cycle, delayed menstrual cycle, irregular
menstrual cycle, menorrhagia, scanty menstruation, etc.
Main Points of Diagnosis
1. The condition in which menstruation occurs 7 or more days or even 10 days
or more earlier than usual is referred to as preceded menstrual cycle; while the
condition in which menstruation occurs a week or more later, or comes in 40-50
days, is termed delayed menstrual cycle. And if menstruation occurs over 7 days
either earlier or later irregularly, it is called irregular menstrual cycle.
2.
The condition in which the amount of menstrual blood is obviously more than usual
but the cycle is basically normal is termed menorrhagia. If the amount of menstrual
blood is obviously less than usual and the cycle is basically normal, this condition
is referred to as scanty menstruation.
Differentiation and Treatment of Common
Syndromes
1. Heat in the Blood
Main Symptoms and Signs: Preceded menstrual
cycle or profuse menstruation which is bright or dark red, thick and sticky, accompanied
with restlessness and dry mouth, yellowish urine, constipation, redness of the
tongue proper with yellow fur, rapid pulse.
Therapeutic Principle: Clearing
heat from the blood to regulate menstruation.
Recipe: Modified Powder for
Clearing Menstruation-Heat
moutan bark, wolfberry bark, white peony root,
dried rehmannia root, sweet wormwood, phellodendron bark, motherwort, raw sanguisorba
root.
All the above herbs are to be decocted in water for oral administration.
If before menstruation, there is a feeling of distension and fullness in the
breasts, and distending pain in the lower abdomen, fidgets, bitter taste, exclude
motherwort and phellodendron bark and add 9 grams of capejasmine fruit, 9grams
of bupleurum root and 9 grams of rose. If the menstrual blood is scanty of rose.
If the menstrual blood is scanty accompanied with tidal fever, flushing of zygomatic
region, feverish sensation in the palms and soles, then subtract sweet wormwood
phellodendron and raw sanguisorba root and add 12 grams of scrophularia root,
9 grams of donkey-hide gelatin (tobe melted and mixed in the finished decoction),
9 grams of glossy privet fruit and 9 grams of eclipta.
2. Deficiency of Qi
Main Symptoms and Signs: Advanced menstruation or profuse menstruation, thin
blood with light color, lack of vitality, tiredness in the extremities, short
of breath and want of speech, pale tongue with white fur, thready and weak pulse.
Therapeutic Principle: Regulating menstruation by invigorating qi and keeping
the blood flowing within the vessels.
Recipe: Modified Decoction for Reinforcing
the Middle-Warmer and Replenishing qi.
codonopsis root, astragalus root, bighead
atractylodes rhizome, prepared licorice root, Chinese angelica root, motherwort,
tangerine peel, cimicifuga rhizome, bupleurum root.
All the above herbs are
to be decocted in water for oral administration.
If palpitation or severe
palpitation is present, 9 grams of poria with hostwood and 15 grams of wile jujuba
seed should be added; if accompanied with soreness of waist and loose stool, 9
grams of antler glue which is to be melted and mixed in the finished decoction
and 9 grams of eucommia bark should be added.
3. Blood Stasis
Main Symptoms
and Signs: Delayed menstrual cycle, scanty menstruation, dark-colored menstrual
blood with clots, pain in the lower abdomen, dark-colored tongue or with ecchymoses,
taut and unsmooth pulse.
Therapeutic Principle: Promoting blood circulation
and removing blood stasis or regulate menstruation.
Recipe: Modified Four-Ingredients
Decoction plus Peach Kernel and Safflower.
peach kernel, safflower, motherwort,
rubia root, Chinese angelica root, white peony root, ligusticum rhizome, dried
rehmannia root, parched cat-tail pollen, parched trogopterus dung.
All the
herbs mentioned above are to be decocted in water for oral administration.
If
there are symptoms of cold-pain in the lower abdomen which can be relieved by
warmth, and intolerance of cold with cold limbs, the following drugs should be
added:
baked ginger, bark of Chinese cassia tree, evodia fruit, common fennel
fruit.
By
Dr. Ming's TCM Medical Center,
Hua Xi Xiao Yuan, Hutian Developing
Area,
Huaihua city, Hunan province
China