TCM Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment for Dysmenorrhea

Traditional Chinese medicine can classify dysmenorrhea into qi stagnation and blood stasis type, cold stagnation and blood stasis type, damp-heat stasis type, etc., and provide corresponding treatment according to the classification, which can relieve menstrual pain.

Qi stagnation and blood stasis

Main symptoms: abdominal distension and pain before or during menstruation that is resistant to pressure, scanty menstrual blood, stiff menstrual flow, dark purple blood with clots, dark purple tongue or petechiae, and stringy pulse.

Treatment: Regulating Qi, removing stagnation, resolving blood stasis and relieving pain.

Prescription: Gexia Zhuyu Decoction. The formula is safflower, peach kernel, red peony root, chuanxiong, angelica, moutan bark, lindera strychnifolia, fructus aurantii, cyperus rotundus, liquorice, corydalis, and aconiti lobata.

Cold and blood stasis

Main symptoms: cold pain in the lower abdomen before or during menstruation that is resistant to pressure, pain relieved by warmth, delayed menstruation, scanty menstruation, dark color of menstrual blood, dark tongue, white fur, and deep, tight pulse.

Treatment: Warming the meridians and dispelling cold, removing blood stasis and relieving pain.

Prescription: Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction. The formula is cinnamon bark, fennel, dried ginger, angelica, chuanxiong, red peony root, aconiti lobata, pollen, yanhusuo, and myrrh.

Damp-heat stasis

Main symptoms: pain or distension in the lower abdomen before or during menstruation, with a burning sensation, or pain in the lumbar region. Heavy menstrual flow or prolonged menstruation, dark red in color, thick in texture. Heavy vaginal discharge, yellow in color, thick in texture, and smelly. Red tongue with yellow fur.

Treatment: Clear away heat and dampness, resolve blood stasis and stop bleeding.

Prescription: Heat-clearing and Blood-regulating Decoction, which contains Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Rhizoma Pruni, Cortex Moutan, Rhizoma Coptis Chinensis, Rhizoma Cyperi, Rhizoma Curcumae, and Rhizoma Corydalis.