Goji Berry Soft-Shelled Turtle Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Nourishes yin and tonifies the kidneys. Suitable for menopausal syndrome characterized by kidney yin deficiency.
with a distinctly warm cast, the formula may aggravate dryness-heat; those prone to oral ulcers or constipation should be cautious; in those with yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, excess liver fire, or internal damp-heat, this warming formula may fuel fire and should be avoided; in the absence of frank deficiency, or where an excess or heat pattern prevails, indiscriminate warming tonic use is inadvisable; as a warming-tonic formula, it is not for those with excess heat, damp-heat, or unresolved exterior patterns; the rich, cloying ingredients may obstruct the stomach; caution is advised in those with poor appetite or internal dampness
Commentary
The sovereign is goji berries, of neutral nature and sweet flavor, entering the Liver, Kidney; it nourishes the liver and kidney, and brightens the eyes, anchoring the central strategy of the formula. The ministerial support — white fungus (nature neutral, flavor sweet, channeled into the Lung, Stomach, Kidney, nourishes yin and moistens the lung), and soft-shelled turtle (neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, with Liver, Kidney tropism, nourishes yin, cools blood, and softens hard masses) — reinforces the sovereign’s main effect and coordinates the drug strength. Finished with scallions, harmonizing the stomach and supporting dietary nourishment, and ginger, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, the formula attains a regulated, neither-excess nor-deficient balance. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the yin deficiency presentation, treating both root and branch.