Postpartum Care — Managing Postpartum Wind, Edema, and Hair Loss with Korean Medicine
Table of Contents
Understanding postpartum great depletion of qi and blood (氣血大耗)
Childbirth places enormous demands on a woman's qi and blood. A large amount of blood is lost during delivery, and tremendous physical strength is consumed during labor. Korean medicine calls this great depletion of qi and blood (gihyeoldaemo, 氣血大耗). If recovery from this state is incomplete, lasting sequelae such as postpartum wind, edema, hair loss, and depressed mood may remain. The first 100 days after childbirth are the golden window of recovery that shapes long-term health.
Modified Ssanghwa-tang (雙和湯) — the foundation of postpartum tonic care
Ssanghwa-tang is a formula that simultaneously tonifies qi (氣) and blood (血), and is the most widely used prescription for postpartum care. Prepared rehmannia (sukjihwang), dong-quai (dang-gwi), and white peony (baekjakyak) nourish blood; astragalus (hwanggi) and ginseng (insam) reinforce qi; Sichuan lovage (cheongung) supports blood circulation; and cinnamon bark (gyepi), licorice (gamcho), ginger (saenggang), and jujube (daejo) warm the spleen and stomach.
- Insufficient breast milk: Add tetrapanax (tongcho) and Vaccaria seed (wangbulryuhaeng) to promote lactation (tongyu, 通乳)
- Delayed lochia discharge: Add peach kernel (doin) and safflower (honghwa) to promote stasis discharge
- Excessive postpartum sweating: Add astragalus and floating wheat (busomaek) to consolidate the surface and stop sweating (gopyojihan, 固表止汗)
Postpartum wind (産後風) — joint pain and chill sensitivity
Postpartum wind refers to chilly, aching joints after childbirth and unusual sensitivity to cold drafts. It develops when wind-cold (punghan, 風寒) invades the joints and meridians while qi and blood are deficient. Modified Doghwalgisaeng-tang or a combination with Ojeok-san is used to expel wind-cold-dampness (punghanseup, 風寒濕) while tonifying qi and blood. Aggressive treatment in the early postpartum period leads to a better prognosis; once it becomes chronic with time, treatment becomes much more difficult.
The mechanism and care of postpartum hair loss
Postpartum hair loss begins 2–4 months after childbirth. During pregnancy, high estrogen prolongs the hair growth phase, but when hormones drop sharply after delivery, large amounts of hair shift into the resting phase at once. From the Korean medicine perspective, this is blood deficiency (heoleo, 血虛) in which nourishment fails to reach the hair. Modified Samul-tang nourishes blood, and adding Polygonum multiflorum (hasuo) and Ligustrum (yeojeongja) supports hair nourishment. Most cases recover naturally within 6–12 months, but if qi and blood are not sufficiently replenished, recovery may be delayed.