Traditional Chinese Medicine

In celebration of our Elan x The Herborium collaboration, we'd like to educate the Elan Community on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Elan acknowledges different cultural postpartum traditions, however, one of traditions our founder U-Fhern resonates with is Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

"Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and herbs hold a very special place in my heart. Apart from it being a household staple growing up, the herbs and practices helped me conceive my first child after a long and emotional journey and supported me during all 3 pregnancies from conception to postpartum." U-Fhern, Founder of Elan House of Wellness 

坐月子 or "Sitting the Month” is widely observed by Chinese women as this time is said to have the ability to rid a mother of her pre-existing illnesses with the help of the openness of the body. Over thousands of years, Chinese women adopted these practices with the belief that the first 40 days post birth, sets one up for the next 40 years, taking her to her menopausal years where they will be welcomed with vibrancy and zest as opposed to hormonal symptoms.

The Elan x The Herborium 28 Day Postpartum Package we have curated alongside The Herborium is to take a new mother through a progressive recovery process to aid in rejuvenating and nourishing according to TCM's 4 stages of recovery.

In Chinese culture, women will prioritise her postpartum recovery; whether it is with the help of professional confinement nannies, mothers, mother in laws or relatives. One major component of postpartum recovery is nourishment through food and Chinese herbs.

The term "confinement" often brings dread to those who hear it, conjuring up images of a jail cell and gloominess. The reason we named ourselves "Elan" is to alter the stigma of "confinement". "Elan" is a French word for energy, flair and enthusiasm. Elan hopes that the postpartum period allows a new mother to emerge restored and rejuvenated whilst still acknowledging the traditional roots of this sacred practice. The herbs we have carefully selected with The Herborium reflect our philosophy of reinvigorating traditional concepts to support us in our every day lives as mothers and they have gone through many rounds of taste testing to make them palatable to the modern woman whilst remaining healing and restorative.

"I turned to TCM during the pregnancy of my third when we thought we were close to losing him, and again after his birth where I suffered a postpartum haemorrhage. Its effects have been too powerful to ignore and it is my hope that this collaboration with The Herborium allows us to share the beauty and benefits of TCM whilst also acknowledging our heritage that we are so proud of."

U-Fhern, Founder of Elan House of Wellness  

We value the importance of nourishment through warm teas and soups that are easily digestible and nutrient dense in those early postpartum days. Our four TCM blends and 28 Day Postpartum Package have been specially designed for us by The Herborium to restore, nourish and support you.

Come with us and delve into the four stages of "Sitting the Month".