Natural Menstrual Pain Relief

Women dread this type of pain above all—when it strikes, many swear never to experience womanhood again. Today, however, this torment has been decisively overcome. Every woman has encountered this agony and etched its memory into her soul; at its onset, a silent vow is made: in the next life, I shall not be a woman. This pain is none other than menstrual cramping.

In this article, you will learn how to fundamentally address and regulate dysmenorrhea. One day, a friend called Niniyucao in a feeble tone, “Bro, my stomach is killing me…” When Niniyucao inquired if it was menstrual pain, she confirmed it, explaining that her period had just begun. Niniyucao then asked, “Why would you suddenly experience cramping? I recall your last bout was almost a year ago.” Struggling through the pain, she recounted how, after going to the supermarket for groceries, she had drunk a bag of chilled milk, felt a bit hungry upon return, and then ate two bananas. Soon after, a searing, piercing pain hit her abdomen, as though a chill were emanating from within.

With a mix of reproach and sympathy, Niniyucao reminded her, “How many times must I tell you—your spleen and stomach are weak and sensitive to cold. Avoid chilled milk and foods like bananas that are inherently cooling. Drinking iced milk followed by bananas only compounds the cold, triggering your menstrual cramps. When blood is warm, it flows; when it is chilled, it congeals. The uterus is a vast sea of blood—if chilled, stagnation ensues, and pain follows.”

Pitiably, she asked, “So, what should I do now?”
Niniyucao replied, “Doesn’t your yard downstairs have wild mugwort? And don’t you have ginger and brown sugar at home? Boil a steaming bowl of mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water—it will set you right. The mugwort warms the channels and the uterus, a pure yang herb designed especially for women. Ginger disperses the exterior and expels cold, and brown sugar nourishes the blood. This simple remedy is equivalent to the traditional Chinese medicine, Ai Fu Nuan Gong Wan, which is specifically formulated to address dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea caused by cold invasion.”

After hanging up, she went downstairs to the yard, and Niniyucao further advised, “When you boil the mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water, use a heat pack to warm your abdomen—it will also help alleviate the pain.”
About an hour later, she texted back, “Bro, this mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water is miraculous! After one bowl, my stomach pain vanished faster than any painkiller could manage. And the taste is wonderful—I really enjoy it; my stomach feels comfortably warm.”
Niniyucao explained, “In traditional Chinese medicine, effective treatment is immediate if it is the right remedy. This is what we call ‘the healing cup overturned’—you finish your medicinal soup, set the cup on the table, and the ailment is cured.”
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Type One Dysmenorrhea: Cold-Induced Blood Stasis
This form of menstrual pain, known as cold-induced blood stasis, typically manifests before or during menstruation as a cold, aching pain in the lower abdomen. Application of a heat pack or a warm towel can alleviate the discomfort. For this type, remedies such as mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water or the Chinese patent medicine Ai Fu Nuan Gong Wan are effective. In fact, any method that warms the lower abdomen is beneficial.

On another occasion, her menstrual pain flared up again—this time, even pressure worsened it. Determined not to alarm Niniyucao, and recalling the previous experience, she self-administered a bowl of mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water prepared from wild mugwort in her yard. Expecting relief as before, she was startled when not only did the pain fail to subside, but it intensified, leaving her writhing on the bed.
Desperate, she called Niniyucao: “Bro, why is my stomach still in agony after drinking the remedy?”
Niniyucao inquired further and learned that although her symptoms had recurred, this episode was not caused by ingesting cold foods like the previous incident. There was no dietary trigger or exposure to cold, and the remedy did not work, indicating that the pain was not due to cold-induced factors.

So, what was the cause this time?
Niniyucao discovered that at her workplace—a hotel—a jealous coworker had secretly reported her to the supervisor, who was friendly with her. Though she masked her true feelings with a smile, her inner anger simmered. It is a known fact that during menstruation, women experience rising qi and diminished blood, making them more irritable and sensitive. Unable to vent her frustration publicly during work hours, she suppressed her anger all day. Shortly after returning home, the emotional turmoil manifested as menstrual cramping.

“Do you have any accompanying symptoms like headaches, chest or flank pain, or breast tenderness?” Niniyucao asked.
She admitted to a slight headache and severe chest tightness, feeling as if she constantly needed to pat her chest for relief, though there was no breast pain. However, she noted that this time the pain was different—previously a cold ache, but now more of a distending, pressure-like pain.
Niniyucao concluded, “I understand now. The distension is due to stagnant qi. This is dysmenorrhea resulting from liver qi stagnation and blood stasis. Your coworker’s gossip bottled up your anger, which in turn impeded the smooth flow of qi and blood, naturally resulting in pain.”
She asked, “No wonder the mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water had no effect—what should you take then?”
Niniyucao replied, “Isn’t there a box of modified Xiao Yao Wan in your drawer? Take some immediately, and the pain will subside soon.” This remedy, Modified Xiao Yao Wan, helps soothe the liver, regulate qi, and invigorate blood circulation—an essential medicine for every woman. After taking the medicine, she was advised to gently tap her gallbladder meridian and massage the Taichong acupoint. Tapping the gallbladder meridian relieves liver and gallbladder stagnation, while massaging the Taichong acupoint, the source point of the liver channel, provides an outlet for pent-up liver qi, relieving headaches, chest tightness, and even lowering blood pressure—essentially, it’s nature’s version of Modified Xiao Yao Wan.

Following Niniyucao’s advice, she performed the acupressure, and soon the menstrual pain was under control.

Type Two Dysmenorrhea: Anger-Induced Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis
This type is caused by repressed anger, leading to qi stagnation and blood stasis. It is typically addressed by soothing the liver, regulating qi, and invigorating blood—Modified Xiao Yao Wan is the remedy of choice. Women are prone to anger, particularly during their menstrual period, making this type of dysmenorrhea quite common. Do not assume that menstrual pain is always due to cold. The hallmark of this condition is a distending, pressure-like pain, usually occurring during or just before menstruation.

“Bro, are there other types of menstrual pain?” she asked one day. “Tell me everything, so I don’t take the wrong remedy next time.”
Niniyucao replied, “Of course, there is another type—a less common one that many women overlook because it is only mildly painful, almost tolerable. It typically appears after the period has ended, presenting as a lingering, diffuse abdominal ache sometimes accompanied by lower back pain that begs to be massaged. This is considered a deficiency syndrome, whereas the previous types are excess syndromes. This pain is usually due to deficiencies in the spleen and kidneys and a shortage of qi and blood. In such cases, one may take the Shi Quan Da Bu Wan.”

She sighed, “I never imagined that menstrual pain could be classified into so many types. With your advice, I’m afraid it will still be hard to differentiate them in the future.”
Niniyucao advised, “It is essential to distinguish between cold and heat, deficiency and excess, when dysmenorrhea strikes—this is paramount. Never immediately resort to painkillers. They come with significant side effects and can lead to dependency. What works for now might require increasing doses later, and ultimately, painkillers only mask the symptoms without addressing the root cause.”

“Indeed,” she agreed. “Many of my friends rely on painkillers, but how can one determine whether the pain is due to deficiency or excess, or cold versus heat?”
Niniyucao elaborated, “Generally, pain during or just before the period is an excess syndrome, whereas pain after menstruation is typically a deficiency syndrome; a dull, lingering pain suggests deficiency, while severe, distending pain indicates excess; pain that is worsened by pressure is excess, while pain that is alleviated by gentle pressure points to deficiency; if you feel a cool sensation in your lower abdomen, it’s cold; if it feels burning, it’s heat. If a heat pack relieves the pain, it is cold in nature, and if it worsens it, then it is a heat syndrome. Overall, most menstrual pain in women tends to be cold in nature.”

To summarize, here are the treatment methods for the four types of dysmenorrhea:

• Cold-Induced Blood Stasis Dysmenorrhea: Mugwort, ginger, and brown sugar water; Ai Fu Nuan Gong Wan
• Anger-Induced Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis Dysmenorrhea: Modified Xiao Yao Wan, with gallbladder meridian tapping and Taichong acupoint massage
• Dysmenorrhea Due to Damp-Heat Obstruction: Three-Ren Decoction or Yi Huang Tang (a formula by the pioneering gynecologist Fu Qingzhu)
• Dysmenorrhea Due to Qi and Blood Deficiency (Spleen and Kidney Deficiency): Shi Quan Da Bu Wan

With these four formulas, women can finally put an end to the agony of menstrual pain—ensuring that, in the next life, they might even consider embracing womanhood again.

Dear friends, how do you manage menstrual pain when it strikes? Please feel free to share your valuable experiences—after all, one person’s insight can be another’s cure.