Do You Pass Coal-Like Black Blood Clots Every Period with Wave-Like Abdominal Pain? Dysmenorrhea with dark menstrual blood is a nightmare for many women—not only severely impacting quality of life but also hiding health risks. How can TCM treatment achieve a root cure?
What Causes Dark Menstrual Blood in Dysmenorrhea?
Heat-Scorched Blood Stasis
Pathogenesis:
Spicy food + late nights → latent internal fire
Rainy season damp-heat → "cooking" menstrual blood into clots
Features: Purple-black sticky clots with foul odor, abdominal pain worsened by pressure, red tongue with yellow coating.
Cold-Congealed Blood Stasis
Trap:
Long-term cooling herbal tea → damages spleen yang
→ cold-dampness binds with stagnant blood
Features: Clots with ice-crystal-like particles, pain relieved by warmth but blood remains dark.
Qi Stagnation & Blood Stasis (common in career women)
Trigger:
Prolonged sitting + liver depression → sluggish blood flow
→ chronic stasis transforms into heat
Features: Pre-menstrual breast distension, coal-fragment-like clots.
How Does TCM Effectively Treat Dysmenorrhea?
Dr. Que Poh Yuen Albert, TCM Gynecology Expert at Singapore Gong Fang Tang TCM, states: Dark menstrual blood is not simple "uterine cold"—it’s an urgent signal of stagnant heat congesting the uterine palace! Blindly drinking ginger-brown sugar tea may fuel the fire.
Here, we share a century-old classical formula: Clear Heat and Regulate Blood Decoction (清热调血汤). It specifically clears heat, eliminates dampness, dissolves stasis, and relieves pain—a classic prescription for dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation.
Formula Composition:
Moutan Cortex (牡丹皮), Coptis Rhizoma (黄连), Rehmanniae Radix (生地), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (当归), Paeoniae Radix Alba (白芍), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (川芎), Carthami Flos (红花), Persicae Semen (桃仁), Curcumae Rhizoma (莪术), Cyperi Rhizoma (香附), Corydalis Rhizoma (延胡索).
Mechanism:
Moutan + Coptis: Clear heat and cool blood (target uterine heat)
Rehmannia: Nourishes yin and blood
Angelica + White Peony + Chuanxiong: "Si Wu Tang" base—nourishes blood, activates circulation, regulates Chong and Ren vessels
Safflower + Peach Kernel: Dissolve blood stasis in the uterus
Curcuma: Breaks stasis, moves qi to enhance blood activation
Cyperus: Soothes liver qi—"qi movement drives blood flow"
Corydalis: Key analgesic—moves blood, qi, and stops pain
Combined Effect:
Clears heat, cools blood, activates blood circulation, resolves stasis, moves qi, and relieves pain. Highly effective for dysmenorrhea with dark clots caused by damp-heat or blood stasis.
Clinical Customization by Physician Dr. Que Poh Yuen Albert:
For severe cold congealing: Add Artemisiae Argyi Folium (艾叶) + Foeniculi Fructus (小茴香) to warm meridians and dispel cold.
For intense qi stagnation (breast pain + depression): Add Bupleuri Radix (柴胡) + Curcumae Radix (郁金) to enhance liver-soothing effects.
→ Truly personalized treatment.
Medical Case
Patient: Ms. Guo, 28
Complaint: 7-year dysmenorrhea history. Excruciating pain requiring analgesics; dark red menses, thick or mucus-heavy flow.
Symptoms: Dry mouth, constipation, severe facial acne.
First Visit:
Tongue: Reddened tip/edges, thick yellow coating
Pulse: Wiry and rapid
Pattern: Liver depression transforming fire + stagnant heat congesting uterus
Prescription:
Base formula of Clear Heat and Regulate Blood Decoction
+ Gardeniae Fructus (栀子) 9g
Dosage: Start 5 days pre-period × 10 doses/cycle
Avoid: Spicy hotpot, bubble tea, mangoes
Outcome:
Cycle 1: Clots ↓50%, pain significantly reduced
Cycle 3: Menses turned dark red, acne resolved, analgesics discontinued.
