Hey mummas, you know how Western medicine usually targets one specific issue? Well, Chinese herbal medicine looks at your whole body — your energy, balance, and overall wellbeing.
From one mama to another, if you’re in the stage of preparing for pregnancy and don’t have any underlying health concerns, exploring traditional Chinese herbal support might be a gentle and nourishing path to consider.
Chinese herbal medicine believes that the mechanism of conception depends on strong kidney qi, sufficient true yin, harmony of qi and blood, and unobstructed collaterals. So, how to achieve these aspects, experts give some suggestions for preparation before pregnancy:
Benefits of Chinese Herbal Medicine During Pregnancy
Chinese herbal formulas are often tailored to the individual, addressing common pregnancy-related concerns such as:
Morning sickness and nausea Fatigue and low energy Poor digestion and bloating Emotional stress or mood swings Threatened miscarriage or spotting (under professional guidance) Preparation for labor and postpartum recovery
These herbs work by nourishing key organ systems, particularly the spleen, liver, and kidneys, which are believed in TCM to play a central role in a healthy pregnancy.
Is It Safe?
Safety is a top priority. When prescribed by a qualified practitioner, Chinese herbal medicine can be safe and gentle. However, not all herbs are suitable for pregnancy — some may be too stimulating or promote uterine contractions. That’s why it’s essential to consult with a licensed TCM practitioner who has experience in prenatal care.
What to Expect
A practitioner will typically assess your overall constitution, symptoms, and trimester before prescribing a custom formula. Herbs may be taken as teas, powders, capsules, or granules. Treatments may also be paired with acupuncture for additional benefits.
Women’s Body Conditioning Before Pregnancy
In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, there is also the saying of Yin Yang and the Five Elements, that is, gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
The characteristics of the five elements explain the physiological functions of the five internal organs of the human body. The liver belongs to wood, the spleen belongs to soil, the heart belongs to fire, the lung belongs to metal, and the kidney belongs to water.
The five internal organs are connected physiologically and influence each other in pathology. Problems will cause other organs to have problems. Therefore, Chinese medicine is very particular about systemic conditioning in preparation for pregnancy, rather than targeting a certain organ.
However, because the functions of the kidneys, liver, and spleen have the greatest impact on women’s qi and blood, more attention should be paid when conditioning before pregnancy:
Kidney: In the theory of Chinese medicine, the kidney is the innate foundation, and the kidney governs reproduction. If the function of the kidney is damaged, it will affect conception, and even lead to infertility or miscarriage.
Dietary prescription:
Stir-fried Chicken with Leek
Ingredients: 500 grams of leeks, 100 grams of chicken, 15 grams of dried shrimp
Method: Wash the leeks, cut into small pieces, heat the pot, put in an appropriate amount of cooking oil, fry the leeks, chicken and dried shrimps together, and add a little salt.
Efficacy: Warm the kidney and nourish the liver.
Spleen: It is the foundation of the day after tomorrow, after the day, there is not enough blood to raise the fetus. Therefore, spleen deficiency can cause infertility or miscarriage after pregnancy.
Dietary prescription:
Lentil porridge
Ingredients: 150 grams of rice, 100 grams of lentils
Method: Wash the rice and lentils, boil water over high heat, add the lentils and rice, boil, and then cook on a low heat until the lentils are cooked.
Efficacy: invigorating the spleen and removing dampness.
Liver: It is homologous to the kidney, lack of blood in the liver, or poor circulation of qi and blood can also affect pregnancy.
Dietary prescription:
Pork Liver and Mung Bean Congee
Ingredients: 100 grams of fresh pork liver, 60 grams of mung beans, 100 grams of rice
Method: Wash the mung beans and rice and put them in a pot, add water to boil, change to a low heat, and simmer slowly. When it is eighty mature, cut the liver into strips and put it in the porridge. Add a little salt to the porridge after cooking. Can.
Efficacy: Nourish the liver and nourish blood
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Chinese Herbal Medicine Conditioning
First Step: Regulating Menstruation
Many people call monthly menstruation an “old friend“. From the perspective of Chinese herbal medicine, this name cannot be more appropriate.
Why? In addition to the most conventional methods such as pulse checking and tongue coating, women’s menstrual conditions are most often asked when they see a Chinese medicine doctor. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine can often determine the crux of the female body through the amount, color, and cycle of menstruation.
The medical theory of traditional Chinese herbal medicine believes that female menstruation is the cycle of the three meridians of Chong pulse, Dai pulse, and Ren pulse in the eight channels of Qi Jing. This cycle will pass through dozens of acupoints. If there are obstacles, it will cause many diseases, so it should be taken seriously.
If the menstruation is normal, it means that the blood is unobstructed, and the next step can be to see if the ovulation is normal through the change of body temperature.
Expert tips: For women with changes in menstrual volume and cycle, you can find a Chinese medicine doctor for treatment at any time, and you don’t have to wait until you are ready to become pregnant.
Second Step: Take Body Temperature
The body temperature of a normal person will rise by 0.3 to 0.5°C under the action of progesterone after ovulation. It lasted for 14 days, and then the body temperature dropped. If only the body temperature rises after 3 or 5 days and then drops, or there is no sign of rising, it indicates that there may be a problem with ovulation, then symptomatic treatment can be done.
Expert tip: In addition to professional diagnosis methods such as seeing, hearing, asking, and cutting, in many cases, traditional Chinese medicine will use Western medical diagnostic methods to further judge the condition. For example, in order to judge whether ovulation is normal, in addition to the method of taking body temperature, sometimes it will also pass B-ultrasound is used as an auxiliary means for diagnosis. Nevertheless, the philosophy and treatment methods of Chinese medicine are completely different from those of Western medicine. When you see Chinese medicine, you should not doubt the curative effect of Chinese medicine because you have adopted some western medicine methods.
Third Step: Warm Uterus
There is a saying in traditional Chinese herbal medicine that Cold uterus is infertile. The uterus is like a warm room for the fetus.
If the uterus is cold, the fetus cannot grow. In order to prevent uterus being cold, women should pay special attention to protecting the warmth of the lower abdomen. Especially women who work under air-conditioning, as well as women who often sit still, should pay more attention to keeping the abdomen and lower body warm.
Expert Tip: It is natural for women to love beauty, but they should also pay attention to adjusting their clothing according to changes in solar terms.
You should usually pay attention to the warmth of the lower body, especially the feet and abdomen. Don’t let yourself catch the cold. Only when your body is warm will your blood flow unblocked.
Fourth step: nourish qi and soothe the nerves
There is a saying in Chinese medicine that women are more jealous of infertility. It means that narrow mindedness, frequent anger, and jealousy may cause stagnation of liver qi, which will affect the spleen and affect pregnancy.
Expert tip: Don’t be too impatient with anything, as the result of a bad temper will result in stagnation. Keeping yourself calm anytime and anywhere will help you get pregnant smoothly.
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Three Chinese Herbal Medicines that are Most Beneficial to Women
Angelica sinensis: There are often sayings of “returning to the head to nourish blood, return to the body to nourish blood, return to the tail to break blood, and promote blood circulation throughout the body”.
Angelica is a commonly used medicine in Chinese medicine and is known as the “Holy Medicine in Blood”. It is often used clinically to treat women’s menstrual disorders, such as dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation.
You can eat it at ordinary times: Cut the angelica into thin slices, and take 5-10 grams of boiled or soaked water for tea. A small amount of angelica can also be added to stewed chicken and stewed meat.
Ejiao: Contains animal glue, gelatin protein, calcium, sulfur and other minerals and more than 10 kinds of amino acids, which can promote the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood, and can also promote the absorption of calcium. It is mostly used to treat various bleeding or anemia.
You can eat it at ordinary times: choose 1 gram of high-quality donkey-hide gelatin. After smashing it, add two small spoons of yellow wine in a large bowl. Steam it in a steamer until the donkey-hide gelatin is completely melted. Add a small amount of brown sugar. pot. Choose 100 high-quality golden jujubes with thick meat and small cores, put them in a clean bowl, heat them in a microwave oven on high heat for 2 minutes, turn them upside down and heat them for 1 minute.
Motherwort: It has the effects of promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, promoting hydration and reducing swelling. Mainly treat irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, etc.
You can usually eat it like this: Put 1.5 taels of motherwort, 6 red dates, and 4 taels of lean meat in a pot. After the water is boiled, cook on a low fire for 2 hours, add salt, and then you can drink it.
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