Black Fungus and Red Date Soup,From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Nourishes the spleen and boosts qi; cools the blood and stops bleeding. Suitable for the recovery phase of urinary tract infections.
those who are robust with internal accumulated heat are not suited to this formula; as a warming-tonic formula, it is not for those with excess heat, damp-heat, or unresolved exterior patterns
Commentary
At the head stands Black wood ear mushrooms, the sovereign, with neutral nature and sweet flavor, having Stomach, Large Intestine tropism; it tonifies qi and blood, moistens the lung, and stops bleeding, underpinning the principal thrust of the decoction. The ministerial support — jujubes (of warm nature and sweet flavor, entering the Spleen, Stomach, Heart, tonifies qi, nourishes blood and calms the spirit, and harmonizes the formula) — reinforces the sovereign’s main effect and coordinates the drug strength. The combined effect is tailored to the damp-heat in the lower jiao pattern.