Donkey-Hide Gelatin and Longan Decoction，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Nourishes qi and blood. Suitable for threatened miscarriage caused by deficiency of both qi and blood.
the whole decoction leans warm; use with caution in those with yin deficiency and internal heat or lingering excess heat; those who are robust with internal accumulated heat are not suited to this formula; the warming-tonic nature is inadvisable during damp-heat, yin deficiency with fire, or episodes of exterior-heat; the rich, cloying ingredients may obstruct the stomach; caution is advised in those with poor appetite or internal dampness; this is a fetus-calming formula, yet it should still be taken under a practitioner’s guidance and not self-escalated in dose
Commentary
The sovereign is dong’e ejiao, neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, with Lung, Liver, Kidney tropism; it tonifies blood, nourishes yin, moistens dryness, and stops bleeding, anchoring the central strategy of the formula. These are joined ministerially by longan flesh (of warm nature and sweet flavor, entering the Heart, Spleen, tonifies the heart and spleen, nourishes blood and calms the spirit), and jujubes (warm in nature and sweet in flavor, with Spleen, Stomach, Heart tropism, tonifies qi, nourishes blood and calms the spirit, and harmonizes the formula), reinforcing the sovereign’s main effect. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the qi-blood presentation, treating both root and branch.