Taiwanese TCM Clinic Uses Herbal Foot Baths to Boost Fertility Success

In Taiwan, where one in six couples faces infertility, a traditional Chinese medicine clinic is offering a novel approach combining internal herbal medicine with external herbal foot baths to enhance conception rates. Dr. Chen Lin-kuang, head of Tian Bao TCM Clinic, reported that two patients successfully became pregnant within five months using this dual-treatment method.

The first patient, a 32-year-old woman diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and irregular ovulation, was treated for "kidney yang deficiency" with oral herbs and a snake bean (She Chuang Zi) foot bath. The second patient, a 40-year-old woman with a low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level of 0.5 and age-related egg aging, was diagnosed with "liver blood deficiency." She received oral herbs and a purple amethyst (Zi Shi Ying) foot bath.

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The feet are where the body's meridians and acupoints are extremely dense. Through herbal foot baths, infertility can be improved.

Dr. Chen explained that while oral herbs are effective, some can be unpalatable, like snake beans, or difficult for the body to absorb, like mineral-based purple amethyst. Acupuncture, another common treatment, can also deter some patients. Herbal foot baths offer a less invasive alternative, allowing medicinal properties to be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream, thereby regulating internal organs.

She stressed the importance of tailoring herbal foot bath prescriptions to individual patient constitutions. Snake beans are suitable for those with obesity or kidney yang deficiency, while purple amethyst is better for slender individuals with liver blood deficiency. Misusing these herbs could impede fertility goals. The clinic also noted that Taiwanese couples often wait too long, an average of 2.9 years, before seeking treatment for infertility, urging prompt professional consultation, especially for women over 34 who have been trying to conceive for two years, or over 40 after one year.

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Snake beans are suitable for obese or kidney-yang deficient body types; purple amethyst is suitable for slender or liver-blood deficient body types. If the wrong medicinal materials are used, one may move further away from the path to pregnancy.