What's In Bak Foong Pills?

Cortex Cinnamomi (Inner Brack or Saigon Cinnamon) 肉桂 Rou Gui
Warming internal and expel cold
Precaution : Do not use during Pregnancy



Folium Artemisiae Argyi (Mugwort Leaf) 艾叶 Ai Ye
Warms the womb and sterility due to uterine coldness and stops bleeding: used to stop prolonged menstrual and uterine bleeding (for problems such as possible miscarriage), regulate the menses, and calm a restless fetus.

Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Chinese Angelica Root) 当归 Dong Gui
Regulates menstrual cycle (especially after taking pregnancy control pills), easing menstrual pain and cramping, relieves hot flashes during menopause, insomnia, blood pressure stability for both men and women, help anemia, suppressed menstrual flow, uterine bleeding, abdominal pain after childbirth, dry intestines, chronic pelvic disorders, constipation, headaches due to blood deficiency, helps liver utilize more oxygen therefore useful in treating hepatitis and cirrhosis, helps with abnormal protein metabolism, helps dilate peripheral blood vessels, increase circulation and as a mild laxative. Precaution : Not to be used during pregnancy.

Cortex Eucommiae (Eucommia Bark) 杜仲 Du Zhong
Tonic for liver and kidney, strengthens muscles and bones, stabilizing pregnancy, chronic pain in lower back and knees, lack of strength, dizziness, impotence, irregular menses and frequent urination, weakness during pregnancy, unstable pregnancy and excessive movements of fetus.

Rhizoma Corydalis (Corydalis Rhizome) 延胡索 Yan Hu Suo
Promotes circulation of blood and qi to relieve pain.
Precaution : Not to be used during pregnancy.



Radix Astragali (Astragalus) 黃耆 Huang Qi
Increases immunity, rises white blood cell, potentiates anti-tumor effect.




Radix Ginseng (Ginseng Root) 人参 Ren Shen
Replenishes primordial qi, restores pulse and treating collapse, tonifies the spleen and lung, promotes production of body fluid to quench thirst, tranquilizes mind and improving mental power.



Radix Paeoniae Alba (White Peiony Root) 白芍 Bai Shiang
Blood-toning actions, treats various blood imbalances including most menstrual disorders, poor circulation, heat rashes and stop bleeding and prevent miscarriages.

Radix Polygalae (Chinese Senega Root) 元志 Yuan Zhi
Calms the heart and soothes the mind, resolves phlegm and clear the orifices (sense organs)


Semen Sesami Nigrum (Black sesame seed) 黑芝麻
Tonifies liver and kidneys, tonifies Jing and blood for blurred vision, dizziness, tinnitus, premature graying hair, recovery from long term illness, and increase breast milk production. Also for headaches and numbness due to blood or Yin deficiency. Lubricates the intestines, moistens dryness constipation or dry stools due to lack of Yin or blood.

Fructus Amomi (Cardamom - Grains of Paradise Fruit) 砂仁 Sha Ren
Eliminates dampness and promote the circulation of vital energy, strengthens the stomach and stop vomiting, for dampness-syndrome involving spleen-yang and stagnation of spleen energy and stomach energy with feeling of fullness and distending pain in the chest and upper abdomen and loss of appetite, for deficiency-cold of spleen and stomach or dampness-stagnation syndrome with nausea, vomiting,diarrhea, abdominal pain, prevents miscarriage and threatened abortion due to stagnation of vital energy, calms fetus, stabilizes pregnancy for a restless fetus due to an unstable pregnancy, morning sickness, bleeding, and abdominal pain.

Feces Trogopterori (Flying Squirrel Feces) 五灵脂 wŭ líng zhī
Invigorates the blood, relieves Pain for amenorrhea, menses pain, postpartum abdominal pain, epigastric pain and chest pain. Dispels blood stasis, stops bleeding for dark purple uterine bleeding with clots, retained lochia due to stasis. Treats childhood nutritional impairment, eliminates toxin for a variety of insect and snake bites, topically and internally

Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum (Deer Horn Gelatin) 鹿角胶 Lu Jiao Jiao
Heals impotence, spermatorrhea, or frigidity, infertility, emaciation, lassitude, aversion to cold, dizziness, tinnitus, impairment of hearing, back pain accopanied by cold sensation, and weakness of the limbs, abnormal uterine bleeding and leukorrhea, chronic cores difficult to heal.
Note: This herb is considered endangered, toxic an illegal in the United States.

Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong (Szechuan Lovage Root) 川芎 Chuan Xiong
Invigorates blood and moves Qi most effective herbs for all blood and Qi stasis patterns for Gynecological disorders like irregular menses, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, difficult labor, postpartum abdominal pain and retained lochia. Expels wind and relieves pain and headaches due to wind-cold, wind-heat, wind-damp, blood stagnation and blood deficiency.

Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (White Atractylodes Rhizome) 白术 Bai Zhu
Tonifies the spleen and supplements the Qi for deficiency in the Middle Jiao with symptoms such as loose stools, diarrhea, fatigue, shortness of breath, sallow complexion, and lowered appetite. Dries dampness, moves and transforms water accumulation. Strengthens the Wei Qi and stops sweating. Stabilizes pregnancy and calms the fetus for restless fetus syndrome caused by lack of nutrition to the fetus caused by spleen Qi deficiency.

Poria (Sclerotium of Tuckahoe, China Root, Poria, Hoelen) 茯苓 Fu Ling
Drains dampness and reduces wwelling for edema of any etiology. Promotes urination for difficult urination and scanty urination due to damp-heat. Tonifies spleen Qi for loose stool, lethargy, and low appetite. Transforms phlegm for spleen deficiency when congested fluids move upward, with symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, and a thick and greasy tongue coat.

Rhizoma Cyperi (Nut Grass Rhizome) 香附 Xiang Fu
Regulates Qi and spreads liver Qi used for all symptoms associated with liver Qi. Stagnation including pain in the hypochondrium, epigastric region, and abdomen along with fullness used for emotional disturbance, poor appetite, chest congestion and frequent sighing. Regulates menses and relieves pain treats gynecological disorders including dysmenorrheal and irregular menses. Also used for breast distension.

Herba Leonuri (Chinese Motherwort) 益母草 Yi Mu Cao
A very important herb for gynecological disorders due to blood stagnation, regulates blood in the chong and treats irregular menses, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, heavy menses with clots, fixed abdominal masses, infertility and traumatic pain. Promotes urination, reduces swelling and edema for acute systemic edema especially if blood in the urine. Treats dysuria, scanty urine, chronic edema, heavy sensation in the back and legs, abdominal distension, fullness after meals, sallow complexion, fatigue, listlessness and difficulty moving. For edema associated with chronic nephritis. Also for kidney stones. Clears heat and toxin for dermatological disorders including eczema, sores, lesions, ulcers, itchy rashes, and toxic swellings.

Mel (Honey) 蜂蜜 Feng Mi
Tonifies the spleen and stomach helps raise the appetite, alleviate pain, and supplement energy. Moistens the lungs useful for chronic Lung Deficiency with cough. Lubricates the intestines for dry constipation due to lack of fluids.
Dispels toxins used for both ingested poisons and Heat Toxins in the superficial layers of the body. Aid in preparing medicines help bind powdered herbs together slowing the release of herbs once ingested, which can help in decreasing the frequency of dosing.

Cycle 20. Day 14 : Koh Samui

It was Thai time 10:45am when our plane touched down at Koh Samui airport. A small but 'boutique' airport. Yeah, you heard right. The word 'boutique' is always used in resort-islands like this. It means specially tailored for utmost luxury, and Koh Samui airport terminal is being one of it. Spared from walking in the hot sun, we were picked by this cute little open-sides mini train immediately from the fireflyz plane. Now that's a first compared to the usual 'first-fry-in-the-sun' each time offboard an airasia plane. Cultural dance troupe welcomed us at the immigration counter. The overall interior is fitted-out with natural wood and wicker finishes. Very much balinese-styled every way.The only setback, no air-conditioning throughout the terminal , except the toilet!! How bizarre!
The hotel pick-up was already waiting holding a sign with my name on it. Surprisingly, the resort was only 15 minutes from the airport. Here is Nara Garden Resort. The facet didn't impress us at first sight. But the beadroom is ...um, um, um..... our first beach-front bungalow chalet. All sides with windows that opens out to full sea-view. Great garden landscaping too. After dumping our languages in the room, we headed out to rent a motorcycle for 2,500 baht per day. Armed with a huge complimentary map, we started speeding up and down the streets in search for a dive center to enroll ourselves for our first diving experience. Suddenly.....splash!!....... ice-cold water drenched us from head to toe while still sitting on the bike. Songkran finally sunk deep in our realization and jolted us to its festive mood. Ha! its a bonus. This trip was planned entirely for rekindling our sex life while not awared it coincided with Songkran, which was celebrated for only one day in Koh Samui. As a matter of fact, Songkran is four-day celebration Bangkok. Lucky indeed.
While cruising the island on our two-wheels, we stumbled upon a small and not fancy lookng bamboo hut restaurant. The dripping hair, drenched clothes and squishing shoes didn't matter, the lunch was great. Having not found any dive center that willing to take us out the next day, we headed back to the resort for assistance. Hooray!! moooah-moooah to the receptionists. They got us a next-day dive trip to Koh Nangyuan coral reefs at 4,000 baht per dive per person. Steep price but the virgin experience of dive was even more alluring.
It was nearly 4pm when we had all our stuff unpacked and showered. The cold air-conditioning room and the scenic blue sea view were working up magic on us. Liked it has been a hundred years ago we had crazy adventures outings like this that could induce great amount of mucous without foreplay. Oh...we romped hard, liked we were reliving the twenty-something spirit. Telling each other vivid images of those days in our early twenties when we didn't even know we had made a baby until the doctor confirmed it at one and a half month right after a straight thirty over days of naughty passion counting from the day i met first met Dino dad and given him my virginity one week later. How ironic! we were then belong to the majority of couples in this world who can made babies easily. Today, the past didn't seem to matter as we were entangled passionaely on the bed, on feet against the wooden rail and on the glass side table. Felt a thousand times better than home. Compared to our MYR2,500 mattress at home, this resort bed was really of cheap material but the loud squeaky sounds accelerated Dino dad's passion in his humping. And that, of course gave me a great deal of heights that made me felt young and sexy again, Even Dino dad confessed this load was voluminous one. Exhausted, we drifted into deep slumber. A check on the clock showed 4.38pm. Baby or no baby conceived on this day, we have recharged our passion and renewed our marriage.
Fortunately, the occupants next door had checked out before we checked in. I am not shy to say sex can be a healthy natural medicine for every couple or individual if the conscions and intention is clear. Sex can be a healing therapy for estranged couples. On the other hand, fiery sex can work as an aphrodisiac to tired couples like us! Try it, if there's anyone is reading this blog right now.

Bringing sex to the island

Need to get away!! Drop works for two days and hideout in an island. Pre-emp clients to not look for us. Switch off phones and set the mood for sex escapades. On ovulation nights!

Dino dad decided he had enough of mountains and bushes from his Indonesia business trips. Its time to look to the beach. Not just any beaches but white sandy-fluffy beach that stretched out to crystal clear blue sea. Oh! must have 'nemo's' and 'dori's too.

This is the twentith cycle of TTC. And we have decided it's the final attempt to go on clomiphene 150mg. Should there'd be a cycle-21 later, it will definitely be IVF by July. In between then will be on Chinese medicine treatment.

It was a hard decision, made with arguments. Dino dad insisted on replacing hormonal treatments with chinese herbs for fear of risking me developing female cancers at later years. Even though there has not been scientifically proven that fertility treatment can cause cancer in women, there are sufficient medical websites hinting the risks possibility. On top of that, sifu JoeyYap has predicted an onset of an illness crisis when i turn 47. He specifically mentioned 'female illness'. Scary but not worry much. Its a great relieve to be able to grasp knowledge of the possible future by this time, so to make pave ways advance preparation such as top-up insurance sum assured gau-gau, embark on an eat-the-right-foods education, pick up mental development programs to think right, to start counting blisses and blessings, to appreciate family and friends, to indulge in my passions more, write a will and most importantly of all, to plan things i can do to give back to society and to leave my mark on this earth.

But alas, this year metal is buried deeply by massive and muddied earth. I can't think straight all the time. Arrrrhhhh.....give myself a break a year. Now, get busy to frolic on white beaches and snorkeling the blue ocean while the nights are to be spent on hot, steamy baby-missions.

My Confession

"Your womb is still cold and cold womb can't hold baby". I have been told over and over again.

Its been repeatedly humming in my head to the extend i am beginning to accept it as the one and only possible reason responsible for all failed cycles. How did i get that? Simple, downing half of an 8 kg watermelon weekly and three to four bags of black tea (well, sometimes green tea) daily for seven years.

If watermelon and tea can be scientifically proven as the ultimate 'cooling food agent', then i have to congratulate myself for guilty in self-destruction at first degree. Otherwise, what could possibly be the root problem???

I was brought up a very healthy child and from a family of healthy siblings. I seldom taken to cold or fever, nor sore throat. I have always thought i was lucky to be gifted with good. If not, how else could i got pregnant within the first 30 days after my very first sexual experience with Dino dad, then boyfriend. Perhaps my age of 23 then was a contributing factor. Perhaps then i haven't even started the self-created crazy tea-and-watermelon addiction. Perhaps the discovery of sexual pleasure was too great that got us discovering ourselves nights after nights with mind-boggling sex. Sometimes in the afternoon and shower. Wait a minute. Isn't this is what people usually do when they don't have TV at home? Yes, i can say that again because that's how baby is created.

Confession be made; that i was actually fully aware of how dangerous unprotected sex can be. I had full understanding that i could get pregnant before marriage, an issue that would bring great disgrace to my tight-tradition family. These thoughts just never sink in. We were more interested in escalating intercourse pleasure to the maximum without frictions with a millimeter-thin sheet of rubber. We were counting on organism. I was liked coming to my true self after years of sexual discovery since 9. I didn't mind the slutty display. I encouraged this rodeo game shamelessly. Though i have never regretted those unrestrained behavior, but i have half regretted of my next decision.

I didn't wanted the pregnancy despite Dino dad wanted the baby. I overwhelmed him and nailed on to abort it at one and a half month after some mega bouts of morning sickness. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, how i can't say that enough!! But i did. Reasons were straight and simple : too young, with career on probation, and no savings, left alone my principle to own a house before marriage. I remember vividly of that sickening contraction pain right after i woke up from the D&C. It was my first ever taste of C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N pain. By the evening i was home already and jumping around mom-in-law's house without a care or thoughts of the poor being that wanted to live but i reaped the life out of it.

The abortion was kept hush-hush until today. A destiny reader even told me that 'it' was a boy. He could turned 13 and enter form one this April. Sigh.................................... No one to blame but myself. All by myself. Guilty as charged.

Of course, sitting down sulking in this entry won't bring me a baby. What surprises myself now is that i feel kinda calm and peaceful. Perhaps i have pour out the burden that i have been carrying all this while despite my strong mental willed me to think i was doing ok. Perhaps is the thought of being able to face-off with my own faults that has peeled open my eyes to notice other alternative medicines and treatment such acupuncture, food-therapy and mind-changing.

Yeah, this feels good. It's ok now. I can try again.From now on, no watermelon, black tea, yellow pears, raw cucumbers, less barly, less bittergourd and to boil water. That's it. That's my resolution for the next three months in order to achieve my mission to conceive by August. Gah yow!

Rest or continue trying?

Mother-in-law had just declared 'i-am-pucat.' Pale skin, stuffy-eyes and draining-lips.

So there i dutifully gulped down a big bowl of 'butt-zhan' with my other hand closing both my nostrils. In that way, i don't get to actually taste the bitterness of chinese herbs. But hey, this time is not bitter at all. Can tolerate. Thanks to mom-in-law always remembers i have not affinity with bitter foods like....chinese medicines. She added some black dates to camaralize the bitterness. Hmm, what do 'butt-zhan' comprise of?

On April 3, the fourth day of cycle 20, we had a post-mortem on our failed IUI. Waste of time. My opinion about dr stay true after all these years subscribing to this thought - dr's are medical technicians'. Drs never failed to impress me, left alone amaze me. He reviewed my case by reciting the failing possibilities that i have already knew. Hello, any woman with a computer and an internet line would have surfed and researched into this sort of imformatin at a click!!

He ruled in these possibilitites: the eggs got stuck somewhere in the fallopian tube and sperms swam south-bound. Ha! ha! ha! what are we? 15?

Disatisfied with this explanations, i took up the smarty-pant in me to remind the dr that he did not do a final scan to ensure my eggs were fully maturing to 19 or 20mm before the Hcg to induce ovulation, that the eggs could have been ovulated later than 24 hours and the washed sperms could have die before 48 hours expired. The dr was quick to defend himself by firmly shielding my question with his weathered-experience badge, that almost all ovulations happen within 24 hours after Hcg jab and that fertilization to happen immediately within the hour too.

Ok lor. What more can i argue with? He has the wide coat, we were in bermudas and T.

Dr's conclusion : Unexplained. Need to do another round of IUI or proceed to IVF, which is most recommended drastic option against time - as i am pushing 36 and Dino dad is pushing 39.

Of course i know that clearly. But spending MYR12,000 does not guarantee me bringing a baby home. What more, with this gloomy economic climate. I want to go for IVF and get this whole baby episode over with, but Dino dad is bending towards traditional chinese meds again. He is worry about the fact that too much hormonal injections into my body can escalate the risk of having female related cancers at later years. Its not proven scientifically but it has been argued and challenged in many medical websites and research papers that posted on the net.

But TCM takes a much longer time, whereas IVF can ensure fertilization happened before putting back into the womb. Anyway, we left the medical center with sour faces at each other and no jab.

Missing a jab on April 3 was a detrimental to our wish to have a ox baby this year. That day was the last day to buy an entry pass into 2009.

o  A bloating stomach that looked like five-month pregnant,

o  Days of diarrhea popped a protruding pile that won't go back in,

o  Few bouts of headaches and no panadol allowed,

o  Severe lower back pain that hurt to walk,

o  Stuffed pillow on sofa or suffer a twisting lower back later,

o  Needle-pricks every fourth day,

o  Three weeks on flat shoes,

0  Potato-couching for three weeks and cellulite farming

0  Emergency tailoring of two pieces stretchable skirts

0  Missing my beloved jeans for three weeks

0  Grumpy with pain all over the body for three weeks

o  Spent RM3,700

And the result, another failed pregnancy attempt.

And yet the dr had once, at the beginning of our visitations, said we shouldn't be difficult to get parent a baby naturally.

Today is the third menses day. Finally managed to draw up the mood to make an entry in this blog with my back seated sprained to the left to balance out the hell in lower back.

Thinking back, the dr didn't not had an vaginal scan on the day he injected the Hcg to stimulate ovulation. Two days before the largest of my eggs was measuring 17mm but i read on fertility websites that say most western dr would wait to reach the preferable size of 20mm. It was on the tip of my tongue with this question but i had chose to not be a smarty-pant instead. Now i curse myself for not exercising my rights.

For two nights Dino dad and i were playing home CSI, trying to phatom where could possibly went wrong. Our answers were all streamlined to the timing of the HcG injection. Perhaps the biggest egg was not matured enough to be popped to the waiting all-good-grade-sperms that, told to me by the embryologist, could only last max two days.

The thought of sex-for-baby-making make us shiver down our spine. Sex now has lost its appeal. Its more like completing missions with tough deadlines. And to think we have to try again make us feel like 80 years old. 

From the moments i saw red, Dino dad's coconut oil deals immediate reduced activities. It's almost the third repeat of the exact pattern - activities momentum peaks from the day of conception and immediately slowed when red came. So true meh.... his bazi says his children are the bearer of real wealth. It feels like we are playing played like puppets by destiny and karma. Dino dad's spirit has hit low bar and his LASIk-corrected eyes too are experiencing mid blurring night vision. Sigh......

Arrrrgggg.....my lower back hurts. Got to go lie down.