Oyster Mushroom and Kelp Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Moistens dryness, dispels wind, calms the liver, and lowers blood pressure. Suitable for all types of hypertension, and particularly beneficial for hypertension caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency.
as the formula is predominantly cold-cool, use with caution in those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, loose stools, or aversion to cold with cold limbs; because it clears heat with cold-natured herbs, overuse can impair the middle; restraint is advised for the spleen-deficient
Commentary
At the head stands Kelp, the sovereign, with cold nature and salty flavor, having Liver, Stomach, Kidney tropism; it softens hardness, disperses nodules, resolves phlegm, and promotes diuresis, underpinning the principal thrust of the decoction. The ministerial layer, chicken fat (with warm nature and sweet flavor, having Spleen, Stomach tropism, warms the middle, tonifies qi, and moistens dryness), and ginger (of warm nature and pungent flavor, entering the Lung, Spleen, Stomach, disperses cold, relieves cough and harmonizes the stomach), lends support that reinforces the sovereign’s main effect. The formula is rounded out by scallions, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, keeping the combination balanced and well-tempered. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the yin deficiency presentation, treating both root and branch.