Chili Snake Meat Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Dispels wind and cold; relaxes tendons and unblocks meridians. Suitable for elderly patients with cervical spondylosis of the bi syndrome type
the whole decoction leans warm; use with caution in those with yin deficiency and internal heat or lingering excess heat; in the absence of frank deficiency, or where an excess or heat pattern prevails, indiscriminate warming tonic use is inadvisable
Commentary
The formula is led by pointed chili peppers as the sovereign herb; with hot nature and pungent flavor, having Spleen, Stomach tropism, it chiefly warms the middle, dissipates cold, and opens the appetite, striking at the root of the condition. The ministerial support — black-striped snake (of neutral nature and sweet flavor, entering the Liver, dispels wind, unblocks the meridians, and stops spasms) — reinforces the sovereign’s main effect and coordinates the drug strength. The combined effect is tailored to the kidney deficiency with wind-damp pattern.