Bai Dou Kou | Amomi Fructus rotundus | Round Cardamom

Properties: acrid, warm, aromatic

Channels Entered: lung, spleen, and stomach

Bai Dou Kou has many functions including awakening the spleen, warming the middle, and transforming dampness.

It can promote the movement of Qi by piercing through and dispersing turbidity. The aroma of Bai Dou Kou mobilizes stagnant qi within the San Jiao.

In Chinese medicine the San Jiao is also called the triple burner, it is considered a mysterious organ, with many theories of what its Western ‘equivalent’ might be. Some say it’s likened to the lymphatic or fascia system.

Its function is to ensure the smooth flow of fluids throughout the body. When there is a blockage, like stagnation the fluids don’t flow, over time creating turbidity. Think of a stream that gets blocked with rocks and fallen leaves. The water can’t flow as it normally would, going from clear and clean to muddled and dirty, potentially with bacteria in it.

This is an important concept within TCM and Yoni care. We add Bai Dou Kou to our Yoni Wash • White because of its relationship to the San Jiao or triple burner. As the name suggests there are three aspects the upper, middle, and lower. In the case of yoni imbalances, the middle and lower burner are important to support. The spleen and stomach are located in the middle and the bladder, and the kidneys are in the lower.

When the spleen isn’t able to transform food and drink into qi, blood, and body fluids, it can create dampness. This dampness can move into or pour down to the lower jiao and present as a yoni imbalance. This imbalance can look like an abnormal white discharge that may have an odor and itching involved.

According to the Mayo Clinic, vaginal candidiasis (vaginal yeast infection) affects up to 3 out of 4 women at some point in their lifetime. Further, many women experience at least two episodes.

Bai Dou Kou is just one of the 13 herbs in our White formula to help support the healing process of these very common yoni imbalances.