Winter Melon, Clam Meat, and Dried Tangerine Peel Soup，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Clears heat, dispels dampness, promotes urination, and stops vaginal discharge. Suitable for the recovery phase of urinary tract infections.
in the absence of frank deficiency, or where an excess or heat pattern prevails, indiscriminate warming tonic use is inadvisable; prolonged use of the diuretic action can deplete yin and fluids; those with inadequate yin should be cautious; because it clears heat with cold-natured herbs, overuse can impair the middle; restraint is advised for the spleen-deficient
Commentary
Winter melon occupies the sovereign position; of cool nature and sweet, bland flavor, entering the Lung, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, it clears heat, transforms phlegm and promotes urination and becomes the guiding principle of the whole formula. These are joined ministerially by dried tangerine peel (with warm nature and pungent, bitter flavor, having Spleen, Lung tropism, regulates qi, strengthens the spleen, dries dampness and dissolves phlegm), and river clam meat (of cold nature and sweet, salty flavor, entering the Liver, Kidney, nourishes yin, clears heat, and promotes diuresis), reinforcing the sovereign’s main effect. Finished with scallions, harmonizing the stomach and supporting dietary nourishment, and ginger, acting as the envoy to harmonize the various ingredients, the formula attains a regulated, neither-excess nor-deficient balance. Viewed as a whole, the formula addresses the damp-heat in the lower jiao presentation, treating both root and branch.