Umbilical Herbal Plasters for Common Women's Health Issues in TCM
Published 2026-06-01 · 602 words · TCM & Functional Medicine
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the navel (Shenque, CV8) is considered a powerful acupoint for regulating the body's energy and treating various conditions. Umbilical therapy, or navel plasters, involves applying herbal pastes to this point to address common women's health problems. Below are several traditional formulas for uterine prolapse, leukorrhea, postpartum night sweats, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding, and menstrual irregularities.
Mix 25g Fructus Aurantii (zhike), 20g each of Radix Astragali (huangqi), Radix Codonopsis (dangshen), Radix Bupleuri (chaihu), and Rhizoma Cimicifugae (shengma), and 0.6g artificial musk. Grind all except musk into a fine powder; grind musk separately. Mix the herb powder with sufficient vinegar to form a paste. First place 0.15g musk powder into the navel, then apply the herbal paste over it. Cover with gauze and secure with adhesive tape. Change every 2 days; 10 applications make one course.
Grind 30g each of Semen Euryales (qianshi) and Ootheca Mantidis (sangpiaoxiao), and 20g Radix Angelicae Dahuricae (baizhi) into a fine powder. Mix with vinegar to form a paste. Apply to the navel, cover with gauze, and secure with tape. Change daily; 10 applications make one course. Suitable for copious white discharge.
Grind Radix Polygoni Multiflori (heshouwu) into a fine powder. Mix with water to form a paste. Apply to the navel, cover with gauze, and secure with tape. Change daily until recovery.
Dry-fry 20g Radix Clematidis (weilingxian) and 10g Eupolyphaga (zhechong) until crisp, then grind into powder. Take an appropriate amount, mix with vinegar to form a paste, and apply to the navel. Remove after about 1 hour. Apply twice daily until recovery.
Mix equal amounts (6g each) of Cortex Cinnamomi (rougui), stir-fried Fructus Foeniculi (xiaohuixiang), Rhizoma Zingiberis (ganjiang), Rhizoma Corydalis (yanhusuo), stir-fried Faeces Trogopterori (wulingzhi), Resina Commiphorae (moyao), Radix Ligustici Chuanxiong (chuanxiong), Radix Angelicae Sinensis (danggui), Pollen Typhae (puhuang), and Radix Paeoniae Rubra (chishao). Grind into fine powder and store in a bottle. Two days before menstruation, clean the navel with saline, then mix an appropriate amount of powder with vinegar to form a paste. Apply to the navel, cover with gauze, and secure with tape. Change every 2 days; use 3 times per cycle, and continue for 5 months as one course.
Grind 20g each of Fructus Alpiniae Oxyphyllae (yizhiren) and Semen Astragali Complanati (shayuanzi) into powder. Decoct 30g Folium Artemisiae Argyi (aiye) in water to obtain a liquid. Mix the powder with the decoction to form a paste. Apply to the navel; change every 6 hours. Continue for 5 days as one course.
Mix 9g Radix Angelicae Sinensis (danggui), 6g each of Cortex Cinnamomi (rougui), Radix Paeoniae Alba (baishao), Flos Carthami (honghua), Rhizoma Zingiberis (ganjiang), Radix Ligustici Chuanxiong (chuanxiong), and 3g Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum (lurong). Grind into fine powder. Take an appropriate amount, mix with vinegar to form a paste, and apply to the navel. Cover with gauze and secure with tape. Change every 2 days; 10 applications make one course. Suitable for menstrual cycles that are early, late, or irregular due to yang deficiency.
Individuals with sensitive skin should reduce application time. This therapy is not recommended for those with acute conditions, internal damp-heat, navel inflammation, or severe skin allergies. Avoid application on an empty stomach or immediately after meals.
References
The use of umbilical therapy is documented in classical TCM texts such as the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), which discusses the navel as a key acupoint. The Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) by Li Shizhen also records external applications of herbs for women's conditions. Modern TCM textbooks reference these formulas for their clinical efficacy.