Mastitis according to Chinese Medicine

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.

Read more about Liver Qi Stagnation here

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). 

Read more about Blow Breast (Chui Ru) here

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.

Read more about Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat here