Soft Extract for Calming the Liver, and Tranquilizing the Mind

INGREDIENTS
Longan aril, Arillus Longan  1000g (or 250g of dried longan aril)
Chinese-date, Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae  500g
Prunella spike, Spica Prunellae  200g
Spiny jujube seed, Semen Ziziphi Spinosae  100g
Bee Honey (Fengmi)   1000g
Crystal sugar  250g

PROCESS: Put the Chinese-dates, prunella spike and spiny jujube seeds into a big earthen-ware pot and soak them in cold water for half an hour and then, heat it over a medium fire. When the water boils, decoct it over a slow fire for an hour until 1000 ml or so of extract is left; filter it to get the first extract; add 1500 ml of cold water into the pot and heat it again until 700 ml of medicinal fluid is left; filter it to get the second extract and remove the residues. Put all the extract, the dried longan aril, honey and crystal sugar into the big earthen-ware pot and heat it over a slow fire for about an hour Cool it to have soft syrupy extract, and then, put it into a bottle and cover it tight.

DIRECTIONS Take it after its infusion with boiling water, twice a day, 10 to 15g at a time.  As for the longan aril, swallow it after chewing it. It is very effective to those who suffer from the flaring of liver-fire marked by irritability accompanied with high blood pressure if they take this kind of soft extract frequently over a long period of time. Both of the above-mentioned recipes are applicable to the type of syndrome in which liver-fire flares up and burn the heart-yin.