What Your Period Says About Your Health: A TCM Guide to Menstrual Blood Color
As an acupuncturist, one of the first things I ask new patients is: "Tell me about your period."
Many people are surprised—not because they don’t expect it, but because they’ve never really looked closely. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the menstrual cycle is a powerful diagnostic tool. It's not just about whether your period is “on time”—the color, flow, texture, and sensations that accompany it all offer clues about your internal health.
Let’s explore how we use the color of menstrual blood as a window into what’s happening beneath the surface.
🩸 Why Blood Color Matters in TCM
In Chinese medicine, Blood is more than just a fluid—it's a carrier of life force, or Jing, and intimately connected to the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney systems. These organs govern the storage, production, and circulation of blood (Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 2015) [1].
When blood color changes—when it’s too pale, too dark, or full of clots—it tells us something about your body’s balance of Qi (energy), Blood, Yin, Yang, and internal Heat or Cold (Li et al., 2018) [2].
Common Blood Colors and What They Might Mean in TCM
Bright Red Blood
What it indicates: Often a sign of heat in the Blood or a healthy, moving cycle.
When it’s normal: Mid-flow in a healthy, moderate period.
When it’s not: If it’s very heavy or arrives early, it may reflect Excess Heat, often related to stress, inflammation, or Liver Qi stagnation turning into Heat (Stener-Victorin et al., 2011) [3].
Other signs: Thirst, irritability, red face, PMS.
Pale or Light Pink Blood
What it indicates: Blood or Qi Deficiency—your body isn’t producing enough Blood, or it's too weak to push it out (Maciocia, 2015) [1].
Other signs: Fatigue, dizziness, cold limbs, delayed periods, thin flow.
Common causes: Poor diet, overexertion, chronic stress, or long-term illness.
Dark Red or Brown Blood
What it indicates: Blood Stagnation, often with Cold in the Uterus.
Other signs: Cramping before or at the onset of flow, clots, mood swings, premenstrual breast tenderness.
When common: Often shows up at the beginning or end of a period.
Purple or Very Dark Blood
What it indicates: Severe Blood Stasis.
Other signs: Sharp pain, large clots, irregular or painful cycles.
Root causes: Emotional stagnation (stress, grief), trauma, long-standing cold exposure.
Watery or Thin Blood
What it indicates: Blood Deficiency or too much internal Dampness.
Other signs: Long cycles, low volume, feeling weak or cold.
Possible causes: Spleen Qi Deficiency, over-exercising, restrictive dieting.
What a Healthy Period Looks Like in TCM
Symptom Healthy Range
Fresh red, not too light or dark
Flow: Moderate (neither heavy nor scant)
Duration: 4–7 days
Pain: Mild cramping or none at all
Cycle length: 26–32 days
Clots: Minimal to none
PMS: Very mild
Backed by Research
Modern research increasingly supports what TCM has long observed. A 2011 study showed acupuncture improves uterine blood flow, regulates hormones, and reduces menstrual irregularities (Stener-Victorin et al., 2011) [3].
Another meta-analysis found acupuncture significantly reduces dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) and helps regulate cycle length (Zhu et al., 2018) [5].
These studies show that acupuncture’s effects on blood flow and hormonal balance can correspond with the TCM understanding of menstrual health.
Final Thoughts
In TCM, your menstrual cycle is like a monthly health report. The color and quality of your menstrual blood tell a story about how well your body is nourishing itself and managing internal balance.
Next time your period arrives, pay attention to the color, flow, and how you feel. If anything feels off, that’s your body communicating.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine offer personalized ways to help restore balance, support healthy blood flow, and address the root causes behind menstrual changes.
References
Maciocia, G. (2015). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists (3rd ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.
Li, J., et al. (2018). The role of Qi and Blood in Chinese medicine. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 38(3), 391–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0254-6272(18)30045-3
Stener-Victorin, E., et al. (2011). Effects of acupuncture on hormone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 301(5), E884–E892. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21873272/
Zhang, W., et al. (2014). Clinical study on Si Wu Tang for regulating menstrual blood deficiency. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 20(3), 213–217. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24791414/
Zhu, X., et al. (2018). Acupuncture for dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Medicine, 19(10), 2090–2101. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29761892/
Zhang, Q., Yue, J., Lu, Y., Sun, Z., & Wang, Y. (2017). Acupuncture for blood stasis syndrome: clinical effects and mechanisms. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017, Article ID 1237024. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1237024