Ambrosial Drink

Ambrosial Drink

Asparagus 3 qian, ophiopogon 3 qian, rehmannia root 3 qian, prepared rehmannia root 3 qian, scutellaria 3 qian, citrus peel 1 qian, dendrobium 3 qian, artemisia 3 qian, licorice 1 qian, loquat leaf 2 pieces with hairs removed.

Chen Xiuyuan said: The stomach is dry earth, preferring moisture and disliking dryness, preferring descent and disliking ascent. Therefore, two rehmannias, two ophiopogons, dendrobium, and licorice are used to moisturize and nourish it, while loquat and citrus peel are used to descend and harmonize it. If you use the bitter taste of ligusticum, it will increase dryness. If you use astragalus or atractylodes to tonify, there’s concern about rising qi. So if there’s damp heat, just use one scutellaria to counteract it and one artemisia to seep through—it’s enough, because the treatment of Yangming focuses on nourishing body fluids. The rehmannia, ophiopogon, and other herbs in this formula are similar to the pig苓 soup’s use of gelatin to nourish yin; artemisia, scutellaria, and citrus peel are like the pig苓 soup’s use of slippery and oily substances to remove dirt.

[Comment] This formula originates from "Jufang." It has the functions of nourishing yin and reducing turbidity, similar to the pig苓 soup’s nourishing yin and clearing turbidity. However, the former acts on the spleen and stomach, while the latter acts on the triple burner.