The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

“Since middle school… it’s been about 20 years now.”

“Has it been consistent since your first period?”

“Yes.”

Though I questioned her calmly, Yoo Minha’s face clouded over as soon as the term ‘menstrual cramps’ was mentioned.

“How severe is it? Do painkillers help?”

“It’s extremely severe. Like I’m dying. Painkillers do work, though.”

“How many do you take?”

“About two Tylenol.”

“Per day?”

One in the morning and one in the evening would be typical for patients with menstrual cramps.

“Two at a time. One doesn’t even touch it. That dulls the pain, but it comes back after 2-3 hours. They say not to exceed 8 a day, so I usually take 6 with meals, and if it’s too painful to sleep at night, I’ll take one or two more.”

“Does it get worse at night?”

“It’s unbearable all day long. I barely manage by wrapping my stomach with heat packs.”

Ah… Yoo Minha was among the most severe cases.

This is on par with that Southern Barbarian Beast Palace princess who mistakenly consumed millennium snow ginseng that didn’t suit her constitution.

“I assume you’ve ruled out underlying conditions like uterine fibroids or endometriosis?”

“Yes. If only it were something like that, I could have had it removed. All they’ve given me are painkillers, birth control pills… I had hope when they said it might improve after childbirth, but that turned out to be wrong too. Though, I haven’t been to the ER since having Seyoung. I used to get IVs occasionally before.”

Yoo Minha bit her lip hard. Even though she wasn’t currently menstruating, the mere thought seemed horrific to her.

“Is your cycle regular?”

“Not exactly… sometimes it’s delayed by a week or so.”

“What about the amount and color?”

“I think it’s a bit heavy, and dark… though I’m not sure if it’s all dark.”

“Can you describe the nature of your menstrual pain? Does it feel like the pain in your lower abdomen spreads to your chest and back, or is it more of a stabbing pain just in your abdomen?”

“The former. My back always hurts too, and it feels like something’s pulling from below.”

I nodded. I had a general idea of the direction. To increase accuracy, I checked a few more aspects of her overall condition.

“Do you have a good appetite?”

“No. I’ve never really enjoyed eating. My digestion isn’t great either.”

A confirmation rather than a question.

“Do you sleep well?”

“More or less? I get about 7 hours, but I’m always tired no matter how much I sleep.”

“I assume you don’t sweat much?”

“No matter how much I exercise, I don’t sweat.”

“You’re sensitive to cold, with cold hands and feet…”

“Yes, yes! That’s right.”

“Any discomfort with urination or bowel movements?”

“Just some mild diarrhea when I eat cold foods.”

All of Yoo Minha’s symptoms pointed in one direction.

“There can be various causes for menstrual pain. We’ve ruled out the conditions mentioned earlier based on your tests. Visually, there doesn’t seem to be any major issue with your pelvic structure. And you mentioned there wasn’t much change after childbirth.”

“That’s right.”

“In such cases, we ultimately need to look for the cause in the five viscera and six bowels. Problems with menstruation are indicators of internal issues. Let me check your pulse as well.”

But I still needed to check her pulse. No matter how good a prescription I could write, I needed to instill confidence to make her want to buy it, right?

I took Yoo Minha’s wrist.

“How is it?”

She asked me before even 5 seconds had passed.

“It’s slow. This is the type of pulse tendency we see when cold dampness accumulates in the lower abdomen. This indicates weak kidney qi… In simpler terms, you’re very sensitive to cold, aren’t you?”

“Yes!”

“Even healthy people can be physiologically more sensitive to cold or heat, but in your case, it’s at a pathological level. When this happens, signs of the body being cold appear in various ways. Menstrual pain is one of them, the pulse is slow, and there’s a lot of white coating on the tongue. Let’s take a look at your tongue.”

Pulse and tongue examination were excellent tools for showing indicators and building trust.

I handed Yoo Minha a mirror.

“Oh my!”

Indeed, Yoo Minha’s tongue had a considerable white coating. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she blushed.

Simultaneously, the last wrinkle between her brows disappeared.

“In traditional Korean medicine, we classify the causes of primary dysmenorrhea like this: qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver and kidney deficiency, cold dampness stagnation, and qi and blood deficiency.”

I wrote the Chinese characters on paper, circling ‘stagnation,’ ‘deficiency,’ and ‘cold.’

“Qi stagnation and blood stasis means poor blood circulation due to stress. Cold dampness stagnation refers to coldness in the lower body, and the two with ‘deficiency’ indicate general weakness, though with some differences in the affected organs. Can you guess which one applies to you?”

“Cold dampness stagnation, I suppose.”

Despite the complex explanation, Yoo Minha had started to pay attention to my words.

“That’s correct.”

Yoo Minha nodded as if she understood.

“So… I need to take medicine?”

She asked cautiously, as if some anxiety still lingered.

“Yes. Unlike your husband’s case of untangling and loosening tightness, which can be addressed with acupuncture or exercise, your body absolutely needs warm medicine.”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Do I need to take it for a long time? It’s not like I’ll have to take it for a year or something, right?”

“Typically, the first effects are seen in the first or second month, and depending on your body’s condition, treatment is completed after 3-6 months of medication. When was your last period?”

“A week ago.”

“Then you should feel the effects by your next menstruation.”

I stated confidently. This was something I could say after treating hundreds of cases of menstrual pain.

Yoo Minha’s constitution was the type that responded exceptionally well to herbal medicine among the classifications.

“And it will stay that way?”

“As long as you don’t overexert yourself. Childcare must be tough… After we treat the cold condition, come for acupuncture once a month. I’ll help you maintain the improvement.”

Once I replenish what’s lacking, it’s not difficult for me to maintain the balance. I can do it as much as needed.

“I’ll be in your care!” Kang Cheolkyu exclaimed loudly.

But Yoo Minha still seemed to have some lingering questions.

“…”

“Is there something else you’re worried about?”

Is this phase 3 now?

When I first started treating patients after leaving Murim, I used to get annoyed with people who asked too many questions.

Compared to high officials who claimed to be the emperor’s distant relative and scrutinized the origin of every herb, or evil sect leaders who threatened to kill my disciples if they failed, holding a knife to my throat, this is hardly troublesome.

Rather, as someone who has witnessed the suffering of countless women, I wanted to treat her by any means necessary.

Such severe menstrual pain drastically reduces quality of life and naturally makes a person irritable.

“I’m curious about what kind of medicine you’ll use. The last time I took birth control pills, I had severe bleeding, so I’ve only been taking painkillers since then.”

Yoo Minha asked cautiously.

Is she worried about side effects?

“Korean herbal medicine doesn’t directly affect hormones like birth control pills, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

While reassuring her, I also clearly explained the specific composition. Some might keep their prescriptions secret, but what does it matter?

After all, if you give the same medicine to 100 patients with menstrual pain, only about 20 will see effects. The other 80 would probably call you a quack.

“I’ll be using a medicine called Banchongsan. Take a look.”

I even entered the medicine name into an internet search engine and showed it to the couple.

The Korean Medicine Dictionary only had a one-line explanation citing Dongui Bogam along with the composition of the medicine.

‘Yikes.’

But modern people have even less knowledge about herbs than Murim practitioners.

I gave a rough explanation of the roles of the medicinal ingredients.

“Ingredients like Atractylodes, licorice, and Poria cocos here are for strengthening the spleen and stomach, while cinnamon and dried ginger directly warm the body. There are also ingredients that improve circulation. The reason ‘chong’ is in the name is because of an ingredient called Allii Fistulosi Bulbus.”

I circled the characters that read ‘Allii Fistulosi Bulbus 1 piece’ as I spoke.

“In simple terms, this is the root of green onions, and it plays a surprisingly important role when combined with other ingredients. It opens up pathways for cold energy to escape as you sweat. Even food can become medicine depending on how it’s used.”

“Oh…”

“Of course, I won’t use exactly the same ingredients and dosages listed here. This isn’t enough, so I’ll need to significantly increase the amount of warming medicines.”

Yoo Minha stared intently at the screen.

Is this the end?

…Or will she resurrect? It’s fine. Even if she asks me to explain the origin and efficacy of every ingredient listed there from A to Z, I’m confident I can do it!

Isn’t this all thanks to overstudying for the graduation exam?

Go ahead, ask me anything.

“…Thank you. You’re the only one who has examined me so thoroughly.”

But that wasn’t it.

Finally, Yoo Minha made up her mind. She bowed her head deeply and murmured.

“…I’ve tried everything. Every possible test, all kinds of painkillers they said might help. I’ve tried sanitary pads, menstrual cups, even cloth pads. Various teas, pelvic corrections, even Swiss chocolate, you name it.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

I could imagine her struggles without her having to say more. It must have been truly, truly difficult.

“Nothing worked. I was so afraid of getting my hopes up again that I didn’t even want to go to hospitals anymore.”

I silently took Yoo Minha’s hand.

A tear fell on the back of my hand.

“I’ll try it. I want to place my last hope on this.”

She made her decision.

“You’ve made a difficult choice. I promise to meet your expectations.”

I provided a few more instructions and concluded the consultation.

Yoo Minha’s face was filled with hope, completely different from when she had entered.

“I’m glad we came, right? You’ll get healthy.”

“Yes. …I feel like it might work this time. Thank you for bringing me, honey.”

They completed the payment very happily.

I quickly wrote out the prescription.

‘Now I just need to decoct it.’

A role I always left to my disciples. Weighing the herbs myself felt like returning to my roots.

I joyfully prepared the medicine, inhaling the sweet scent of licorice.

◆◇◆◇◆

A full month.

Yoo Minha diligently took the prescribed medicine every day without fail.

Following the doctor’s instructions on the dosage instructions, she cut out cold foods and went for acupuncture treatment once a week.

Right after the consultation, she was full of hope.

As that elation subsided, she became a bit anxious.

Was it right to spend not an insignificant amount of money on herself, now that she had a child?

‘I should have been more frugal, maybe it was too hasty a decision…’

But her worries didn’t last long.

About a week after starting the medicine, she could vividly feel her body improving.

“I didn’t know it was actually possible to feel refreshed when waking up.”

Her appetite improved, and she slept soundly.

But more than anything, she found it amazing that the air conditioning no longer caused her discomfort.

She could go to cafes without wearing a cardigan.

She even put an end to the separate bedroom arrangement with her husband that had been a summer ritual.

“I’m so glad, honey. Really!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Your period hasn’t even started yet.”

“I can tell just by looking at your face that you’ve improved.”

In fact, the days when Yoo Minha suffered from severe menstrual pain were only 3-4 days out of the month.

But for the week before, she would be anxious about how painful it would be this time, and for 3-4 days after it ended, she would cry, feeling wronged about why she had to suffer so much.

She spent about two weeks of each month in distress.

“Well… it should be about time.”

“Remember, as soon as it starts, we’re going straight to the Korean medicine clinic, okay?”

“I was there for the consultation too, you know.”

But this time was different.

She had a very good feeling.

She was actually looking forward to seeing how much the pain would decrease when her period started.

If the menstrual pain really improved.

She could say goodbye to the days of sobbing and screaming while popping painkillers, and freed from the terrible pain, she might even be able to get a job again.

“Ah!”

A few days later.

On exactly the 28th day from her previous menstrual cycle, blood appeared on her underwear.

Her period had started without the usual uncomfortable ache in her abdomen and back that typically served as a warning the day before.

“Let’s go to the clinic right now!”

Kang Cheolkyu looked ready to lift Yoo Minha and fly off, but today was Sunday.

“Calm down. Let’s go first thing tomorrow morning.”

“How do you feel? Any pain?”

“Not at all, so far.”

“I hope it stays that way… Oh, I’ll get you a heat pack!”

They spent the night on edge, wondering when the pain might start.

But even as the sun fully set and midnight passed, her abdomen remained calm.

Yoo Minha fell asleep peacefully in Kang Cheolkyu’s arms.

For the first time since her first period, she went to sleep without painkillers.