Orange-Flavored Kelp Noodle Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Resolves phlegm and clears turbidity. Suitable for rheumatic heart disease characterized by phlegm-turbidity obstructing the middle jiao.
the cold, heat-clearing herbs suggest caution in those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold or loose stools
Commentary
The formula is led by kelp as the sovereign herb; cold in nature and salty in flavor, with Liver, Stomach, Kidney tropism, it chiefly softens hardness, disperses nodules, resolves phlegm, and promotes diuresis, striking at the root of the condition. The ministerial support — dried tangerine peel (nature warm, flavor pungent, bitter, channeled into the Spleen, Lung, regulates qi, strengthens the spleen, dries dampness and dissolves phlegm) — reinforces the sovereign’s main effect and coordinates the drug strength. Completing the formula, cilantro, harmonizing the stomach and supporting dietary nourishment, and granulated sugar, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, so that potency is moderated and stomach qi protected. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the heart qi deficiency presentation, treating both root and branch.