Shiitake Mushroom and Clam Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,This soup tonifies qi and nourishes yin, and increases white blood cell count. It is suitable for leukopenia caused by deficiency of both qi and yin, characterized by a sallow complexion, dizziness and blurred vision, palpitations and insomnia, heat in the palms and soles, tinnitus and lower back soreness, fatigue and weakness, spontaneous sweating and night sweats, a pale tongue or a tongue with a reddish hue and a thin white coating, and a fine, rapid pulse.
being cold-natured, it may chill the middle and impair digestion in those with weak spleen-yang; the cold, heat-clearing herbs suggest caution in those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold or loose stools
Commentary
At the head stands Shiitake mushrooms, the sovereign, with neutral nature and sweet flavor, having Spleen, Stomach tropism; it supports the upright, tonifies deficiency, strengthens the spleen, and opens the appetite, underpinning the principal thrust of the decoction. The ministerial support — clam meat (of cold nature and sweet, salty flavor, entering the Liver, Kidney, nourishes yin, clears heat, and promotes diuresis) — reinforces the sovereign’s main effect and coordinates the drug strength. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the qi-yin presentation, treating both root and branch.