王节斋曰∶妇人女子,经脉不行,多有脾胃损伤而致,不可便作经闭死血,轻用通经破血药。凡遇此证,须
审其脾胃何如。若因饮食劳倦,损伤脾胃,少食泄泻疼痛。或因误服汗下攻克药,伤其中气,以致血少不行,
只用健脾胃药。脾旺则生血,而经自行。又有饮食积滞,致损脾胃,亦宜消积补脾。若果脾胃无病,有血块凝
滞,方用行血通经之剂。
慎斋按∶以上七条,序妇人经闭属于内伤不足之病也。经闭有心气不通,有血虚气结,有肝伤肾竭脾伤,
皆足致经闭。此为内伤虚证,而与前条风冷寒凝,火邪热结,积痰污血为病者,有余不足,各自不同也。
李氏曰∶妇人以血为主,天真气降,壬癸水合,肾气全盛,血脉流行,尝以三旬一见,以象月盈则亏,故
曰月经。经行与产后一般,若其时有余血一点未净,或被风寒湿热暑邪,或内伤生冷,七情郁结,为痰为瘀,
凝积于中,曰血滞。或经止后,用力太过,入房太甚,及服食燥热,以致火动,则邪气盛而津液衰,曰血枯。
陈良甫曰∶经后被惊,则血气错乱妄行,逆于上则从口鼻出,逆于身则血水相抟,变为水肿。恚怒则气血
逆于腰腿心腹,背胁手足之间重痛,经行则发,过期则止。怒极伤肝,则有眩晕、呕血、瘰 、血风、疮疡等
病,加之经血渗漏,遂成窍血生疮,淋漓不断。湿热相抟,为崩带,血结于内,变 瘕。凡此变证百出,不过
血滞与血枯而已。重则经闭不通,轻则经水不调,不止虚与热二者也。
Wang Jiezhai stated: In women, the cessation of menstruation is often caused by damage to the Spleen and Stomach. One should not immediately diagnose it as amenorrhea due to fixed blood stasis (blood stasis obstruction) and lightly employ drugs that promote menstruation and break up blood stasis. Whenever encountering such cases, one must carefully examine the condition of the Spleen and Stomach. If the cause is improper diet or overwork damaging the Spleen and Stomach, resulting in poor appetite, diarrhea, and abdominal pain; or if it is due to the mistaken use of diaphoretic, purgative, or attacking medicines that injure the Qi of the Middle Jiao, leading to insufficient blood and impaired circulation, then only tonifying the Spleen and Stomach with appropriate herbs is needed. When the Spleen is robust, it generates blood, and menstruation will resume naturally. There are also cases where food stagnation damages the Spleen and Stomach; in such instances, one should first eliminate the stagnation and then tonify the Spleen Qi. Only if the Spleen and Stomach are indeed free from disease, but there are blood clumps causing stagnation, should one employ formulas that invigorate blood and unblock menstruation.
Shenzhai commented: The above seven items outline that female amenorrhea belongs to diseases of internal injury and deficiency. Amenorrhea can result from the Heart Qi failing to flow freely, from Blood deficiency with Qi binding, or from damage to the Liver, Kidney, and Spleen; all of these are sufficient to cause amenorrhea. This constitutes an internal injury deficiency syndrome. Compared to the previous section which described conditions caused by wind-cold coagulation, fire-heat accumulation, phlegm-turbidity, and foul blood, these differ significantly between excess (fullness) and deficiency (emptiness).
Li stated: Women are primarily governed by Blood. When the Tianzhen Qi descends and the Ren and Gui waters (referring to Kidney essence/Tian Gui) combine, and Kidney Qi reaches its peak, the blood vessels flow smoothly. Menstruation typically occurs every thirty days, mirroring the waxing and waning of the moon, hence it is called "menstrual period." The state during menstruation is similar to that after childbirth. If a small amount of residual blood remains uncleaned at that time, or if exposed to external pathogens such as Wind, Cold, Dampness, Heat, or Summerheat, or if internally injured by raw/cold foods, or due to emotional stagnation (Seven Emotions), forming Phlegm or Blood Stasis that accumulates within, this is termed "Blood Stagnation" (Xue Zhi). Or, after menstruation ceases, excessive physical exertion, excessive sexual intercourse, or consumption of dry-hot foods may stir up Fire, causing pathogenic factors to flourish and Body Fluids to decline; this is termed "Blood Withering" (Xue Ku).
Chen Liangfu stated: Being startled after menstruation causes Qi and Blood to become disordered and flow recklessly. Reversing upward, they exit through the mouth and nose; reversing into the body, Blood and Water contend with each other, transforming into edema. Anger causes Qi and Blood to reverse into the waist, legs, heart, abdomen, back, flanks, hands, and feet, causing severe pain that manifests during menstruation and stops when the period ends. Extreme anger injures the Liver, leading to dizziness, hematemesis, scrofula (Luo Li), Blood Wind, sores, and other diseases. Combined with leaking menstrual blood, this eventually forms bleeding from orifices and sores, dripping continuously. Damp-Heat contending together leads to metrorrhagia (Beng) and leukorrhea (Dai); Blood binding inside transforms into mass formations (Jia). All these myriad variable syndromes are merely manifestations of either Blood Stagnation or Blood Withering. Severe cases result in complete amenorrhea, while mild cases result in irregular menstruation; it is not limited to just deficiency and heat syndromes.