A Guide to Using Chinese Medicine for Women’s Health- Part 3-Herbal remedies and nutrition

I hope you are finding this series interesting and helpful so far.

Please feel free to share with others who may be seeking new ways to find balance.

As you may already know, herbal medicine and food as medicine are incredibly effective and offer an often safer alternative for daily women's health support.

A bit about Chinese Herbs

Chinese Herbal formulas are unique in the sense that they are all created to be "whole", to support a balance between the Yin/Yang and 5 Elements within the body/mind. Each herb has a particular role and organ system that it works with and the other ingredients are designed to support the intention of what we call the "chief" herb.

You might think of using an herbal preparation more like eating a whole food vs. taking a concentrated supplement or medication. For example a citrus food for a source of vitamin C, versus a concentrated tablet that only has ascorbic acid and not the other bio flavanoid's needed to optimize its benefit.

The whole food has all the parts for absorption and the body knows what to do with it because it is a natural compound with the same make up as our own cells.

For that reason, herbal medicine can be a helpful adjunct to other treatments and therapies, even increasing the effectiveness of other treatments or sometimes replacing the need for them entirely!

The natural world holds incredible intelligence, and that which ALL of our modern medicines come from. Herbal medicine in the East has a history of over 5,000+ years.

How an herbal prescription is determined

With an intensive examination, Chinese medicine doctors gain a deeper understanding of the body as a whole and can supply herbal treatments that support and improve your health safely and naturally.

A typical exam to determine appropriate herbal treatment includes:

• Appearance of the tongue • Pulse rate and strength • Facial coloring • Mood • Menstrual history • Illnesses • Childbirth • Surgeries

*Herbal medicine doctors may also be Acupuncturists or they may only focus on herbal medicine. During an herbal consultation, the practitioner will look at the body holistically and focus on how to bring about health and fertility.

Tonic herbs for Yin and Blood nourishment

As a woman, you want to understand how to improve the health of your body as a whole AS WELL AS understanding the separate systems of the body and how they interact with and support one another (see part 2 of this series).

One way to do this is by understanding the Woman's foundation is dependent on having adequate supply of Yin and Blood. We can nourish this element with blood building Chinese herbs called "Tonics" for boosting hormones and supporting menstrual regularity.

These include 2 general categories depending on your need for balance:

Warming Blood Tonics

Dong Quai (or Tang Kuei), estrogenic and enhances uterine circulation.

*Avoid using this tonic if you suffer from inflammatory conditions such as fever, acne, or irritability.

*Tonics in general should not be taken if you contract a cold. Switch to a more appropriate formula to treat the cold, and then resume the tonic once the pathogen is cleared.

Cooling Moistening Blood Tonics

These tonics improve dryness, blood deficiency due to fever conditions, and may also slow certain signs of aging. They can also be helpful for menopause.

Some examples include:

• He shou wu (Fo ti) • Dan shen (salvia root) • Goji (wolfberry) • Jujube date (chinese red date) • Rehmannia (chinese fox glove)

****These moistening tonics should be balanced with herbs to improve absorption and circulation. This will help you avoid water retention, lethargy and diarrhea. Some balancing herbs to try are:

• Bai Zhu (Atractylodes white rhizome) • Cardamom • Ginger • Chai Hu (Bupleurum) • Cinnamon

Self treatment with "patent" or pre-made formulas

In Chinese herbal medicine, we rarely prescribe single herbs or herbs alone. Most Chinese herbal formulas are given as prescription only. Please consider the above suggestions as you are able to and have access. Many formulas are now sold in health food stores and can be taken safely with some common sense and guidance.

All formulas have a combination of herbs designed to balance the potential effects of the formula.

If you are not able to work directly with an herbalist, starting with pre made formulas, diet and lifestyle are reasonable and can still yield great benefits.

*Always remember to check the brand of herbs you get for the GMP label to ensure its been tested and is safe to consume.

*If something isn't sitting right with your body, stop taking it and get more information!

Some of the best and most popular patents are:

1) Women’s Precious Pills (Ba Zhen Tang): helps warm the body and Tonify the blood

2) Xiao Yao Wan* (aka Free and Easy Wanderer) supports digestion, menstrual regularity, reduced pain and greater emotional balance. Generally prescribed for the effects of "stress" creating a feeling of edginess and tension

3) Four Gentlemen (or six gentlemen) to strengthen digestion, improve energy and reduce bloating and water retention

4) Kidney Yin Tonics- to decrease hot flashes, improve lubrication

How to Make Xiao Yao Wan at home for a soothing and supportive meal or beverage:

Supports digestion, menstrual regularity, reduced pain and greater emotional balance. Generally prescribed for the effects of "stress" creating a feeling of edginess and tension. Great to incorporate especially around the pre menstrual time.

Preparation:

Make a tea or vegetable recipe with equal parts of fresh ginger, fresh mint, fresh tarragon, prunes or spinach and parsley.

Add the chopped herbs to:

• Cooked barley or millet with olive oil • Vegetable soup containing carrot, onion, celery and spinach

For a little added flavor and blood building, you can add a piece of chicken liver or use a bone broth to add to the resulting vegetable soup.

Please stay tuned for our next in the series- Part 4: From menstrual health to menopause where we go into more about the phases of the menstrual cycle as well as working with menopausal changes.

Cheers to finding your Healthy Balance with plant medicines and herbal support.