Ephedra and Almond Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Dispels cold, resolves phlegm, relieves cough, and calms wheezing. Suitable for bronchial asthma of the “cold phlegm lurking in the lungs” type, characterized by shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, wheezing in the throat, fullness and oppression in the chest and diaphragm, or coughing with thin, white, foamy sputum, or sputum that is sticky and frothy; aversion to cold; episodes triggered by cold weather or exposure to cold; and a white tongue coating.
those who are robust with internal accumulated heat are not suited to this formula; containing mildly toxic herbs, the dosage must be carefully controlled; it is not for long-term use, and pregnant women and the debilitated should avoid it; sweating should be light; profuse sweating injures the righteous qi and is to be avoided
Commentary
At the head stands Roasted ephedra, the sovereign, of warm nature and pungent, slightly bitter flavor, entering the Lung, Bladder; it disperses wind-cold and diffuses lung qi; roasting reduces its sweating effect while preserving its action of opening the lung to relieve wheezing, underpinning the principal thrust of the decoction. These are joined ministerially by almonds (of warm nature and bitter flavor, entering the Lung, Large Intestine, descends lung qi and relieves cough and wheezing), and roasted licorice (nature neutral, flavor sweet, channeled into the Heart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach, tonifies qi, harmonizes the actions of all herbs, moderates harsh properties, and alleviates urgency of pain), reinforcing the sovereign’s main effect. Together the herbs converge on this action, in accord with the lung qi disturbance pattern.