Gu Jing Wan, Stabilise the Menses Pill, is Gui Ban, Bai Shao, Huang Qin, Chun Gen Pi, Huang Bai and Xiang Fu. The catalogue classes it among the formulas that stabilise the womb.

Herb

Amount

30 g

30 g

30 g

21 g

9 g

7.5 g

Actions and indications

Enriches Yin and clears deficiency Heat

Deficient Yin allowing Heat to agitate the Chong and Ren, so the Blood leaves its pathways
Blood Heat of the Chong and Ren
Feeling of heat and irritability in the chest, red face and dry mouth; heat in the palms, soles and chest
Dark or red urine, painful urination and difficult bowel movements
Tongue red with a normal or yellow coat; pulse wiry, or rapid and wiry, tight, or slippery

Stops bleeding and stabilizes the menses

Menstrual flow that does not stop, or uterine bleeding switching between spotting and gushing
Blood bright red, thick and sticky, possibly with dark purple clots
Heavy periods, periods that run long, or early and frequent periods with heavy flow
Spotting or bleeding outside the cycle
Periods sometimes delayed
Vaginal discharge and abdominal pain

Regulates Liver Qi

Liver Qi stagnation accompanying the bleeding

Modern uses

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Uterine bleeding
Menorrhagia
Metrorrhagia
Prolonged menstruation
Irregular menstruation
Vaginal discharge (leucorrhoea)
Threatened miscarriage
Habitual miscarriage
Gastrointestinal bleeding
Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease

Modifications

Marked Yin deficiency: + di gu pi, + shu di huang, − huang qin, − xiang fu

Heavy bleeding: + di yu, + xian he cao

Heavy bleeding, second option: + hai piao xiao, + qian cao gen, + long gu, + mu li

Heavy bleeding, third option: + shu di huang, + shan zhu yu, + di gu pi, − huang bai, − xiang fu

Irregular periods in girls at puberty from Kidney Yin deficiency with Heat: + bie jia, + bai wei, + chao bai zhu, + chao wu mei, + dang shen, + nu zhen zi, + mo han lian, + zhi gan cao, − gui ban, − huang bai

Irregular periods at puberty, alternative (combined with Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan): − huang bai, − xiang fu

Flooding and spotting around menopause from Yin deficiency with Blood Heat: + bie jia, + chao dang gui, + chao xu duan, + dang shen, + zhi gan cao, + huang jing, + hai piao xiao, + sang ji sheng, − gui ban

Vaginal discharge from deficiency Heat: + bai zhu, + shan zhu yu, + huang bai, − huang qin, − chun pi (fu chao), − xiang fu

Vaginal discharge from deficiency Heat with heavy Damp: + bai zhu, + shan zhu yu, + huang bai, + ku shen, + zhe bei mu, + pao jiang, − huang qin, − xiang fu

Cautions

contraindication Blood stagnation, including Blood Heat that arises from stasis; dark clots or fixed pain point to it, and the astringent Chun Pi can lock the stasis in

contraindication Qi deficiency

contraindication Bleeding from Cold or from Blood deficiency alone (pale tongue, Cold signs, no Heat signs): this cooling, astringent formula does not fit and may make it worse

caution Uterine bleeding that is heavy, prolonged or irregular, or that occurs after menopause, must first be assessed medically, since structural or other causes have to be excluded before an astringent formula is relied on

pregnancy Use with caution in pregnancy: Xiang Fu moves Qi, and bleeding in pregnancy needs careful pattern diagnosis

Pinyin

gu jing wan

English Name

Stabilize the Menses Pill

gu jing wan

About gu jing wan

Ingredients

Actions and indications

Enriches Yin and clears deficiency Heat

Stops bleeding and stabilizes the menses

Regulates Liver Qi

Modern uses

Symptoms

Modifications

Cautions

Preparation

Names

Classification