Chinese Herbs for Women's Health
Chinese herbal medicine has one of the oldest continuous traditions of women's health care in the world, organised around blood and its movement through the monthly cycle, through pregnancy and postpartum, and through the transition out of it. This collection holds around 50 broths, teas, formulas and herbs used across those stages.
How the Tradition Is Organized
Chinese herbalism describes women's health primarily in terms of blood — whether there is enough of it, whether it moves freely, and whether it is warm enough. Almost every formula in this collection is doing one of three things: nourishing blood, moving blood, or regulating the qi that moves it. Dang Gui (angelica sinensis) is the herb most associated with the first, and it appears throughout.
- Nourishing blood — Goji Berries & Red Dates "Blood Revitalizer" tea, angelica sinensis, longan fruit, white peony root.
- Regulating and smoothing — Free and Easy Wanderer (Xiao Yao Tang) and Ease Combo (Xiao Yao Wan), the formulas most used for cycle-related tension and mood.
- Postpartum — our Postpartum Recovery (Zuo Yue Zi) broth mix, built for the traditional "sitting the month" period.
- Midlife transition — Menopause Support (Geng Nian Lie), Rehmannia Eight, Zuo Gui Wan.
- Everyday — the Women's Health broth mix, American ginseng tea, maca root.
What Is Zuo Yue Zi?
Zuo Yue Zi — "sitting the month" — is the traditional Chinese postpartum practice of a month of rest, warmth and specific nourishing foods after birth. Warming, blood-building soups are central to it, which is what our Postpartum Recovery broth mix is built for. It is one of the most durable food-as-care traditions in Chinese culture and is still widely observed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dang Gui used for?
Angelica sinensis, or Dang Gui, is the single herb most associated with women's health in Chinese medicine, traditionally described as nourishing and moving blood. It appears in a large share of the classical women's formulas. It is not appropriate during pregnancy or alongside blood thinners.
Can I take these while pregnant?
Many Chinese herbs, including several common ones in this collection, are contraindicated in pregnancy. Do not take any herbal formula while pregnant or trying to conceive without clearance from a licensed practitioner and your obstetric provider.
Can I take these while breastfeeding?
Some postpartum formulas are traditionally used during breastfeeding and some are not. Check with a licensed herbalist and your provider before starting anything, since herbs can pass into breast milk.
Do these interact with hormonal birth control or HRT?
Some herbs affect how the body processes hormones and hormonal medication. Talk to your physician before combining any of these with contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy or fertility medication.
Where should I start?
For general daily use, the Goji Berries & Red Dates tea and the Women's Health broth mix are the gentlest entry points and require no pattern diagnosis. For anything cycle-specific, ask our team or work with a licensed practitioner.
Why Shop root + spring
Our formulas are developed by a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist and reviewed by our staff herbalist, certified in both Chinese and Western herbal medicine. Herbs are sourced directly from established suppliers and lab tested for heavy metals, pesticides and sulfur. Orders over $99 ship free within the United States.
Related: herbal broth & tea mixes, blood & circulatory health, aging, beauty & hair.
