Traditional Chinese Medicine Parenting: Question 10 – How should expectant mothers nurture their pregnancy?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Parenting: Question 10 – How should expectant mothers nurture their pregnancy?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Parenting: Question 10 – How should expectant mothers nurture their pregnancy?
Answer: In traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that men are governed by Qi (energy), while women are governed by blood. For an expectant mother to nurture her pregnancy well, she must ensure that her blood is abundant and her Qi is balanced. The Shang Han Za Bing Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases) offers a famous formula for expectant mothers: Dang Gui San (Angelica Powder). It states, "For a woman who is pregnant and has no other illnesses, taking Dang Gui San regularly will make childbirth easier and help prevent postpartum complications." So, to nurture the pregnancy, if there are no other issues, the expectant mother can take Dang Gui San twice daily with rice wine, one spoonful each time.
Dang Gui San consists of:
Whole Angelica (Dang Gui) 240g
Scutellaria (Huang Qin) 240g
Red Peony Root (Chi Shao) 240g
Ligusticum (Chuan Xiong) 240g
Atractylodes (Bai Zhu) 120g
Grind these ingredients into a fine powder and sift them.
If the expectant mother experiences severe nausea and vomiting, she can take Gan Jiang Ren Shen Ban Xia Wan (Dried Ginger, Ginseng, and Pinellia Pill):
Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang) 15g
Codonopsis (Dang Shen) 15g
Pinellia (Ban Xia) 30g
Grind these into a powder and sift. Take one level spoonful with warm water. Typically, one or two doses will stop the vomiting.
If the expectant mother experiences constipation or difficulty urinating, she can take Dang Gui Bei Mu Ku Shen Wan (Angelica, Fritillaria, and Sophora Pill):
Angelica (Dang Gui) 60g
Fritillaria (Bei Mu) 60g
Sophora (Ku Shen) 60g
Grind these into a powder and sift. Take one level spoonful with warm water, three times daily.
These remedies have been clinically tested and are highly effective. Expectant mothers can confidently use them according to their symptoms. When Western medicine is unsure, they often advise against taking any medication, but they do not understand the principles of medicine or the importance of diagnosis and treatment according to TCM theory.