Crucian Carp and Water Chestnut Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,This dish strengthens the spleen and boosts qi, clears heat and detoxifies, and promotes urination to reduce swelling. It is suitable for the recovery phase of urinary tract infections, characterized by symptoms such as fever, frequent urination, urgency, painful urination, scanty urine, and even edema.
because it clears heat with cold-natured herbs, overuse can impair the middle; restraint is advised for the spleen-deficient
Commentary
Crucian carp occupies the sovereign position; neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, with Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine tropism, it strengthens the spleen, promotes diuresis, and harmonizes the stomach and becomes the guiding principle of the whole formula. The ministerial layer, water chestnuts (cold in nature and sweet in flavor, with Lung, Stomach tropism, clears heat, promotes fluid, resolves phlegm, and disperses food stagnation), and ginger (with warm nature and pungent flavor, having Lung, Spleen, Stomach tropism, disperses cold, relieves cough and harmonizes the stomach), lends support that reinforces the sovereign’s main effect. The formula is rounded out by rock sugar, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, keeping the combination balanced and well-tempered. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the damp-heat in the lower jiao presentation, treating both root and branch.