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Concern · Topic

Women's Health

The cluster of complaints that Chinese households often frame around the menstrual cycle: premenstrual mood shifts, breast tenderness, irregular cycles, and post-partum recovery.

Last reviewed: June 25, 2026

About this page

This page is a cultural reference, not a diagnostic tool. Health concerns listed here are tags that explain why certain formulas are discussed together — they do not map 1:1 to Western medical diagnoses.

Background

In TCM, "women's health" overlaps heavily with the menstrual cycle and what is called 妇科 (gynecology). Common patterns include "liver qi stagnation" (premenstrual irritability, breast tenderness, mood swings), "blood deficiency" (light or late periods, fatigue, pale complexion), "blood stasis" (painful periods with dark clots), and "spleen-kidney deficiency" (irregular cycles, post-partum weakness). The medicines on this page are linked to one or more of these patterns in traditional Chinese household use. None of them is a treatment for specific gynecological conditions, and persistent or severe menstrual symptoms warrant clinical evaluation.

Medicines traditionally associated with this concern

  • Formula · Guì Zhī Fú Líng Wán

    Cinnamon and Poria

    桂枝茯苓丸

    A gentle, five-ingredient formula from the Han dynasty, originally used for "masses below the waist" in women, and now one of the most commonly prescribed gynecological formulas in both Chinese and Japanese kampo practice.

  • Formula · Wū Jī Bái Fèng Wán

    Black-Bone Chicken Phoenix

    乌鸡白凤丸

    A signature gynecological "bu-qi yang-xue" (tonify qi and nourish blood) formula from Gong Tingxian's "Longevity and Life Preservation" (1549), built around black-bone chicken and a large herb list.

  • Formula · Bā Zhēn Yì Mǔ Wán

    Eight-Treasure Motherwort

    八珍益母丸

    A gynecological "bu-qi yang-xue, tiao-jing" (tonify qi and blood, regulate menstruation) formula from the Qing-dynasty "Golden Mirror of Medicine", the motherwort-augmented form of the classic Eight-Treasure decoction.

  • Formula · Wēn Jīng Tāng Kē Lì

    Warm the Menses Granules

    温经汤颗粒

    A "wen-jing san-han, yang-xue qu-yu" (warm the channels, disperse cold, nourish blood, dispel stasis) formula from Zhang Zhongjing's "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet" (c. 220 CE), the canonical TCM "cold-stasis" gynecological formula.

  • Formula · Jiā Wèi Xiāo Yáo Wán

    Augmented Free Wanderer

    加味逍遥丸

    A "shu-gan qing-re, jian-pi yang-xue" (smooth the liver, clear heat, strengthen the spleen, nourish blood) formula from Li Chan's "Introduction to Medicine" (1575), the "cooled" form of the classical Xiao Yao San.

  • Formula · Rén Shēn Guī Pí Wán

    Ginseng Spleen-Returning

    人参归脾丸

    A "yi-qi bu-xue, jian-pi yang-xin" (augment qi, tonify blood, strengthen the spleen, nourish the heart) formula from Yan Yonghe's "Formulary to Aid the Living" (1253), the ginseng-substituted, stronger form of the classical Gui Pi Tang.