Chinese medicinal herb "Liu Jinu" is harvested during the summer and autumn when the flowers are dry. It is washed and used fresh or dried. Liu Jinu is commonly used in clinical practice for conditions such as menstrual blockage, postpartum stasis, and injuries from falls or impacts.
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[Methods of treating dysmenorrhea with Liu Jinu]
Mi, female, 32 years old. She has been suffering from dysmenorrhea for 2 years, experiencing lower abdominal distension and pain before menstruation, aversion to cold in the epigastric region, feeling of coldness like applying ice, cold limbs, yellow complexion. She usually relies on oral or intramuscular analgesics to relieve pain, and the pain occurs every month, causing great distress. Pale red tongue, thin white coating, deep and tight pulse.
Diagnosis: Stasis blocking the Chong and Ren channels, and cold invading the Jue Yin. Treatment should focus on promoting blood circulation, removing stasis, warming the channels, and dispelling cold. Prescription: Liu Jinu 20g, Cinnamomum cassia 6g, Cinnamomum cassia twig 9g, roasted licorice 6g, malt sugar 15g, white peony root 20g, roasted frankincense 12g, typha pollen 20g, fresh ginger 10g, 6 jujubes. After taking this formula for 15 doses, the symptoms disappeared. Then, 7 doses were taken before the next menstruation to consolidate the treatment. After 4 months of follow-up, there was no recurrence.
Dysmenorrhea can occur before or after menstruation, and the pain can be located in the lower abdomen or lumbar sacral region. In severe cases, there may be vomiting, cold limbs, and cold sweats. The pathogenesis is mostly due to poor circulation of qi and blood, with causes including blood stasis, qi stagnation, cold congealing, and blood deficiency. Liu Jinu is an effective medicine for treating dysmenorrhea by promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.
"Bencao Hui" states: "Liu Jinu enters the Hand Shaoyin and Foot Shaoyin channels, promotes blood circulation, breaks up blood stasis, and disperses stagnation with the help of pungent and aromatic herbs. Liu Jinu is a divine medicine for breaking up blood stasis. It has a good ability to target the blood, has a bitter taste that goes to the heart, and its warm nature is suitable for the spleen... so it is specialized in treating blood disorders."
In the prescription, Cinnamomum cassia, white peony root, roasted licorice, malt sugar, fresh ginger, and jujubes are part of the "Xiao Jianzhong Tang" from "Treatise on Febrile Diseases," which has the effects of warming the middle, nourishing deficiency, harmonizing the interior, and relieving urgency. Adding Cinnamomum cassia can help direct the formula downward and tonify the kidneys, while removing coldness. Frankincense and typha pollen promote blood circulation, dispel stasis, and relieve pain. The combination of all these ingredients has the effects of warming the channels, dispelling cold, removing stasis, and relieving pain. Therefore, when treating dysmenorrhea with individualized adjustments based on the pattern differentiation, satisfactory results can be achieved.
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[Functions and indications of Liu Jinu]
Liu Jinu breaks up blood stasis, promotes blood circulation, and reduces swelling. It is used to treat conditions such as menstrual blockage, chest and abdominal distention and pain, postpartum blood stasis, injuries from falls or impacts with bleeding, and carbuncles and abscesses.
1. "Tang Bencao": "It breaks up blood and reduces swelling."
2. "Rihua Zi Bencao": "It treats heart and abdominal pain, relieves qi and water accumulation, and treats gynecological conditions with blockage of meridians."
3. "Kaibao Bencao": "It treats bleeding from carbuncles and is essential for stopping bleeding. It is used for postpartum residual disorders, stopping bleeding, and relieving pain."
4. "Bencao Mengquan": "It eliminates swelling and abscesses, and extinguishes hot pain from burns."
5. "Gangmu": "For children with hematuria, grind into powder and take."
6. "Bencao Qiuyuan": "It treats heart qi pain and bleeding from sores."
