Medicine for Women in Early China: A Preliminary Survey

Abstract

This study reviews aspects of the history of medicine for women from approximately the third century BCE to the tenth century CE. It focuses on therapies during the months of pregnancy and childbirth as recorded in newly discovered texts, on the developing pharmacopeia, and on ritual procedures. It argues that acupuncture was used only rarely on pregnant women and that many cultural and religious beliefs and practices, including those drawn from the Buddhist, Daoist, and popular traditions, influenced procedures undertaken in preparation for and during the birth process.