Excessive discharge of blood during the monthly periods is known as menorrhagia. In the case of bleeding at irregular intervals, it is termed as metrorrhagia.

Causes and Symptoms: In Ayurveda, menorrhagia and metrorrhagia are called Rakta Pradara. These conditions may arise due to the imbalance of the hormones, which is caused by the aggravation of pitta in the body. Abnormal growths in the uterus or other organs may also produce profuse bleeding. If bleeding continues for a long time, there may be giddiness, headache, pain in the calves, and restlessness. The common concomitants of anaemia can be the above features. Menstruation may start with pain in the abdomen, the back, or the hips. The other symptoms can be mentioned, as the flow may be excessive leaving the patient extremely weak.

Home Remedies: Seven tender leaves of the pomegranate tree and seven grains of rice, ground into a paste, and given to a patient for a month twice daily, act both as a curative as well as a preventive medicine for this condition.

Medicines and Prescriptions: Praval Pishti in doses of 75 mg each is given four times a day.

Ashoka i.e. Saraca indica and Lodhra i.e. Symplocos racemosa are the two drugs of choice in the treatment of this condition. Preparations like Ashokarishta and Lodrasava are widely prescribed.

Other prescriptions for the treatment of menorrhagia and metrorrhagia are given as follows

Pradararipi Rasa, Bol Parpati, Chandanadi Churna: 240 mg each of Pradararipi Rasa and Bol Parpati, and 1 gm of Chandanadi Churna to be taken twice daily with honey.

Pradarantaka Lauha, Chandraprabha, Pushyanuga Churna: 240 mg of Pradarantaka Lauha, 500 mg of Chandraprabha, and 1 gm of Pushyanuga Churna to be taken in the morning and evening with decoction of Kusha grass.

Diet and Other Regimen: Hot and spicy foods should be avoided. Sugarcane juice, grapes, bananas, and pomegranates are particularly useful in this condition.

The patient should be given complete bed rest. Any form of strain is to be avoided. Worry and anger also tend to aggravate the condition and the patient should be kept in pleasant surroundings. The foot of the bed should be slightly raised and no pillow should be used. Sexual intercourse should be prohibited.