Tianma and Albizia Chicken Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Calms the mind and soothes the spirit; tonifies qi and nourishes blood. Suitable for insomnia caused by deficiency of both the heart and spleen; particularly suitable for those with palpitations and forgetfulness.
given the warm nature, caution is advised if the tongue is red with scant coating or there is tidal fever and night sweats; in the absence of frank deficiency, or where an excess or heat pattern prevails, indiscriminate warming tonic use is inadvisable; the blood-moving action suggests caution in early pregnancy, in heavy or prolonged menses, and in those with a bleeding tendency; the tonifying-warming action may aggravate internal heat; avoid during feverish or inflammatory episodes
Commentary
Tianma occupies the sovereign position; neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, with Liver tropism, it calms the liver, extinguishes wind, and unblocks the meridians and becomes the guiding principle of the whole formula. The ministerial layer, angelica root (with warm nature and sweet, pungent flavor, having Liver, Heart, Spleen tropism, tonifies blood, promotes blood circulation, regulates menstruation, and moistens the intestines), and mimosa flowers (with neutral nature and sweet flavor, having Heart, Liver tropism, soothes the liver, relieves depression, and calms the spirit), lends support that reinforces the sovereign’s main effect. Completing the formula, dried tangerine peel and astragalus, tempering the formula’s tendency, and hen, rich in blood-and-flesh essence, nourishing the righteous qi, and scallions, harmonizing the stomach and supporting dietary nourishment, and ginger, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, so that potency is moderated and stomach qi protected. Together the herbs converge on this action, in accord with the heart-spleen pattern.