Jennifer Lynn Brown

Zhang Xi Chun Case Histories

Excessive Menstrual Flow(Case 245)

Inverted Menses(Case 247)

Excessive Menstrual Flow

Pattern Presentation: Menstrual flow is copious and long, after a heavy flow for 8-9 days it begins to stop.  Several days later things return to normal.

Treatment:  Use “An Chong Tang”

Formula: chao bai zhu (6 qian), sheng huang qi (6 qian), sheng long gu (6 qian powdered), sheng mu li (6 qian powdered), da sheng di (6 qian), sheng hang shao (3 qian), hai piao xiao (4 qian powdered), qian cao (3 qian), chuan xu duan (4 qian).

Patient took one packet and recovered, continued to take one more packet and the disease did not recover.

Note:

Menses copious and heavy indicates blood deficiency

Continuous flow for a long time indicates qi deficiency

This is a pattern of qi and blood deficiency where there is an inability to consolidate and absorb.

Treatment:

Tonify qi with bai zhu and huang qi

Tonify blood sheng di and shen hang shao

Stop bleeding with sheng long gu and sheng mu li

Consolidate leaking with shan zhu yu and xu duan

Tonify kidney, close the uterus and eliminate stasis with hai piao xiao

Astringe and quicken the blood with qian cao

Both hai piao xiao and qian cao astringe the lower jiao and treat flooding disorders.

1.  An Chong Wan treats female menstrual flows that are copious and continue for a long period, not stopping when it should and starting again when it shouldn’t.

2.  Qian cao and hai piao xiao can unblock the menses, astringe the lower jiao and are the primary herbs for treating flooding disorders.  Hai piao xiao tonifies the kidneys and assists in closing the uterus, is astringent and can eliminate stasis.  Qian cao can move the blood and is astringent.  These two herbs together are used to dispel pathogenic influences without damaging the zheng qi, and they stop bleeding without trapping pathogenic influences.  Both are suitable for this disease.

Inverted Menses

Pattern Presentation: Inverted menses for 6 months without recovery, shortness of breath, pulse slightly weak & slow, both cun positions do not rise.

Pattern and Treatment:  This is Da Qi sinking.  Treatment should be “Sheng Xian Tang”

Formula: Sheng Jian Qi (6 qian), Zhi mu(3 qian), chai hu (1 qian 5 fen), jie geng(1qian 5 fen), sheng                  ma(1 qian)

Consecutively took several packets, shortness of breath resolved, body felt strong compared to before, patient stopped taking herbs.  Next month menses returned to normal.

Pattern of inverted menses is an indication of chong and stomach qi counterflow.  Shortness of breath is a sign of Da Qi sinking.   A slow weak pulse indicates qi deficiency, whereas a slow pulse indicates yang deficiency, when both cun positions do not rise this indicates that the Da qi is sinking.  Da qi sinking leads to counterflow of the chong and stomach channels creating the pattern of inverted menses.

Treatment is to tonify qi with huang qi, nourish yin with zhi mu, and raise the qi with chai hu, sheng ma and jie geng.  Both huang qi and zhi mu regulate the hot and cold.

                        1.  Sheng Xiang Tang treats chest “Da Qi” sinking, shortness of breath with inability to take a breath or have strength to inhale and exhale have wheezing; or danger breath stops suddenly.  Or have chills and fever alternating, dry throat, thirst, fullness and oppression, palpitations, forgetful spirit.  Pulse is sunken skipping faint wiry with a long guan position.

                        2.  A persons Da Qi influences the whole body, this is the guiding principle.  Da Qi brimming full in the chest makes the stomach qi descend, and keeps the chong from going up.  If the Da Qi moves down then qi is disordered and the chong and stomach qi move conterflow creating chaos.

                        The chong mai is the sea of blood, if chong qi goes up the sea of blood follows moving counterflow, this is the origin of inverted menses; if chong qi is quiet it remains in its proper residence and the chong blood does not upwardly rebel, and follows its natural path.