Black Snake Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Dispels wind and cold, transforms dampness, and unblocks the meridians. Suitable for rheumatoid arthritis of the wind-cold-damp bi type.
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
Commentary
With black-striped snake as the sovereign, neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, with Liver tropism, it dispels wind, unblocks the meridians, and stops spasms, and this opening sets the main therapeutic direction. The ministerial support — ginger (warm in nature and pungent in flavor, with Lung, Spleen, Stomach tropism, disperses cold, relieves cough and harmonizes the stomach) — reinforces the sovereign’s main effect and coordinates the drug strength. The formula is rounded out by scallions, harmonizing the stomach and supporting dietary nourishment, and cooking wine, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, keeping the combination balanced and well-tempered. Together the herbs converge on this action, in accord with the wind-cold pattern.