Sheng Hua Tang生化汤
Generation and Transformation Decoction
Ingredients5 herbs
Indications
Blood deficiency with congealing cold and stasis obstructing the uterus after childbirth. The uterus is empty of blood and open to cold; the cold thickens what blood remains, so the lochia does not discharge freely.
Clinical Manifestations
- Retained lochia with cramping lower abdominal pain after delivery
- Cold, dark and scanty postpartum discharge
- Postpartum abdominal pain relieved by warmth
- Retained clots after miscarriage or termination, under supervision
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Marked cold with clear aversion to cold — add Rou Gui 肉桂 to strengthen the warming of the channels
- Pain sharp and fixed with obvious clots — add Yi Mu Cao 益母草 to promote discharge of the lochia
- Marked qi deficiency with exhaustion and sweating — add Huang Qi 黄芪 and Ren Shen 人参
- Poor appetite and abdominal fullness — add Chen Pi 陈皮 and Sha Ren 砂仁 to move the middle
Contraindications
Not for postpartum haemorrhage, and not for lochia that is copious, bright red or foul-smelling with fever — those point to heat or to retained products of conception and are a medical emergency, not a decoction problem. Not for postpartum patterns of blood-heat or yin deficiency. Because it moves blood, it is not continued once the lochia has normalised.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated during pregnancy. This is a postpartum formula: Tao Ren and Chuan Xiong move blood and Pao Jiang warms strongly, a combination that can provoke uterine contraction, and taking it while pregnant risks bleeding or miscarriage. After delivery it is used only for a short course and only when a clinician has confirmed there is no haemorrhage and no retained placental tissue. It also adds to the effect of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, which matters in the postpartum period when thromboprophylaxis is sometimes prescribed.
References
Source Fu Qing-zhu Nu Ke 《傅青主女科》 · Qing
- Classical source (public domain) — 《傅青主女科》, attributed to Fu Shan, Qing dynasty.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— 理血剂 · 活血祛瘀, pattern and 配伍 analysis cross-checked.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.