The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
Breast Carbuncle and Mammitis redirect here
Chinese name: 乳腺炎
Pinyin name: Rǔ Xiàn Yán
Possible causes and remedies:
Symptoms: Fever Blister Headaches and fourteen other symptoms
Recommended formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Gua Lou San
Symptoms: Fever Blister Breast pain and ten other symptoms
Recommended formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Tuo Li Xiao Du San
Mastitis is very close to the Chinese disease called Breast Carbuncle (Ru Yong, 乳痈). Its main features are clogged milk ducts and heaviness, heat, hardness, boil, swelling, pain, redness and nodules or lumps in the breasts.
If it is untreated after a few days, milk blisters or abscesses can appear and crack open with a sticky pus discharge. Fever often comes along in this situation.
Mastitis can often go away with herbs treatment or on its own. However, if the nursing mother has fever over 38.5C (101.3F) for more than 24 hours, she needs to see a doctor. Antibiotic needs to be used to treat the breast inflammation and infection.
As you can see below we've detailed for you the three "patterns of disharmony" associated with mastitis. Chinese Medicine sees the body as a system, not a sum of isolated parts. A "pattern" is when the system's harmony is disrupted. It is not equivalent to a Western condition, as a matter of fact here mastitis can be explained by three different patterns.
Each of those patterns can be treated with one or several herbal formulas. Drinking herbal infusions is the most common remedy in Chinese Medicine, together with acupuncture. It is the Chinese Medicine equivalent to drugs, apart that it's 100% natural!
In total we detail below three formulas that can help treat the various patterns that cause mastitis, depending on which pattern fits your profile.
The Liver is a so-called "Zang" Organ. Learn more about the Liver in Chinese Medicine
Pulse type(s): Wiry (Xian), Hidden (Fu)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Red
Recommended herbal formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Gua Lou San
Symptoms: Fever Blister Headaches Depression Mood swings Breast pain Irritability Breast lumps Constipation Breast redness Breast hardness Breast distention Uneven milk supply Breast skin cracks Breast pus discharge Breast skin ichiness White spots on nipples
If a nursing mother is easily impacted by anger and her emotions are repressed, her Qi will rebel upwards and stagnate in the Liver, which connects to the nipples through the Liver Channel. This leads the milk ducts or nipple orifices to clog, milk cannot come out and thus forms lumps or nodules in the breasts. The nursing mother feels swelling and hardness in the breasts and a strong sharp pain during breastfeeding. Sometimes, only one of the breasts' nipples are clogged and it leads to an uneven milk supply.
If Liver Qi does not flow properly for a while and it is left untreated, it accumulates toxic Heat that can transform into blisters, abscesses and pus discharge. Fever often comes along in this situation.
The formula Unblock Nursing Tea is recommended because it contains herbs ideally suited to fight this pattern. The treatment principle is to invigorate Qi and Blood (Unblock Nursing Tea contains the herbs Dong Quai and Platycodon which are ideal for this), to expel Heat and toxins (Dandelions, Honeysuckle flowers and Chrysanthemum flower), pacify the Liver (Goji berries) and clear pus (Angelica root).
Another important point is that during breastfeeding, the nursing mother is recommended to massage the breast lumps or nodules to soften them. As home remedies, she can apply hot pad right before the feeding to speed up the milk flow and apply cold pad to ease pain when necessary. She is highly encouraged to breastfeed or pump more often so as to ease the breast engorgement and clogged milk duct.
Milkvetch Roots (Huang Qi) is the key herb for Tuo Li Xiao Du San, a formula used for Blow Breast (Chui Ru)
Pulse type(s): Weak (Ruo)
Tongue coating: Partial absence of coating
Tongue color: Pale
Recommended herbal formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Tuo Li Xiao Du San
Symptoms: Fever Blister Breast pain Breast lumps Nippple crack Breast redness Breast infection Breast distention Breast skin crack Uneven milk supply Breast skin ichness Breast pus discharge White spots on nipples
It is easy for cracks to appear on the breast or the nipple skin if the breasts or nipples get irritated due to incorrect baby sucking technique or unsuitable feeding position. Cracks then leave the mother vulnerable to bacteria (e.g. Staphylococcus aureusfrom) passed from the baby's mouth and nose to the mother's breast or nipples. It causes infections and as a result, worsen the cracks. Sometimes there are also white stick spots, blisters or abscess appear in nipples or breasts.
This is how Western medicine explains the pathology of puerperal mastitis and it ties remarkably well with TCM's 'Blow Breast' (Chui Ru, 吹乳) theory. It literally means that feeding baby blows on the breast and transmits Toxic Heat to it, often because the baby has Phlegm stagnating in the diaphragm which produces the Heat. With the Heat, the breast becomes engorged, hot, painful and hard. As a vicious circle, Qi and Blood stagnate, breast ducts clog and the milk does not flow. The mother is thirsty and feels a lot of pain on her breasts. If untreated, sticky pus discharge appears, fever comes along and this becomes full blown mastitis.
Unblock Nursing Tea is a suitable formula for Blow Breast because it contains herbs that invigorate Qi and Blood (Dong Quai and Platycodon), expel Heat and Toxins (Dandelions, Honeysuckle flowers and Chrysanthemum flowers) and clear pus (Angelica root).
The Stomach is a so-called "Fu" Organ. Learn more about the Stomach in Chinese Medicine
Pulse type(s): Slippery (Hua)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Red
Recommended herbal formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Gua Lou San
Symptoms: Fever Thirst Blister Red eyes Dry mouth Breast pain Breast heat Malar flush Breast lumps Restlessness Constipation Breast redness Breast hardness Breast distention Uneven milk supply Breast skin cracks Breast pus discharge Breast skin ichiness White spots on nipples Scanty clear urination
If the nursing mother doesn't follow a suitable diet and consumes excessive amounts of hot and greasy food after birth giving, the heavy-to-digest food brews in the Stomach and it creates toxins and Heat.
The breast belongs to the Stomach channel (also called Bright Yang channel), so the toxic Heat will naturally flow from the Stomach to the breasts. It clogs milk ducts and creates heaviness, heat, hardness, boil, swelling, pain, redness and nodules or lumps in the breasts. When this situation is not treated properly, it can lead to blisters, abscess and pus discharge. Fever often comes along.
Unblock Nursing Tea is a suitable formula for this pattern because it contains herbs that expel toxins and Heat like Dandelions, Honeysuckle flowers and Chrysanthemum flowers.
Number of ingredients: 12 herbs
Key actions: Alleviates milk blockages and uneven supply issues*
Rating: from 123 customer reviews
Designed by Me & Qi's expert practitioners, Unblock Nursing Tea gathers all the herbs necessary to tackle the three patterns behind mastitis. A 100% natural and vegan product, Unblock Nursing Tea is composed solely of the 12 herbs listed in its ingredients.
The top herbs in Gua Lou San are Snake Gourds (Gua Lou), Honeysuckle Flowers (Jin Yin Hua) and Dong Quai (Dang Gui)
Source date: 1826 AD
Number of ingredients: 8 herbs
Key actions: Remove breast carbuncle (mastitis) after birth giving.
Because it is a formula often recommended to help with the patterns Liver Qi Stagnation and Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat which are sometimes associated with mastitis. If any of these patterns look like something you might suffer from, this formula might help (although please seek confirmation with a professional practitioner beforehand).
The top herbs in Tuo Li Xiao Du San are Milkvetch Roots (Huang Qi), Codonopsis Roots (Dang Shen) and Atractylodes Rhizomes (Bai Zhu)
Source date: 1548 AD
Number of ingredients: 11 herbs
Key actions: Draws out toxicity. Expels pus from the interior. Tonifies Qi and Blood.
Because it is a formula often recommended to help treat Blow Breast (Chui Ru), a pattern sometimes associated with mastitis. If it looks like you might suffer from Blow Breast (Chui Ru), this formula might help (although please seek confirmation with a professional practitioner beforehand).