Grassleaf Sweetflag, Polygala, Poria and Schisandra Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo wrote this one with two groups in mind: children who are a little slower in speech or learning, restless or easily distracted, and older adults noticing scattered attention or fading memory. Either way, early care matters — and a suitable food-therapy soup can play a gentle supporting role. This combination is built around herbs long used in traditional kitchens to settle the spirit and sharpen focus, rounded out with dried scallops for a deliciously savoury broth.

Method

1. Rinse and soak the herbs and scallops separately.
2. Add everything — including the scallops’ soaking water — to 2.4 L of water.
3. Simmer for about 1.5 hours, reducing to 900 ml. Serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup has a faint herbal taste and is fine for young and old. It is traditionally regarded as helpful for nervous exhaustion and for restless, hyperactive children. (A reader asked, and yes — you can add pork ribs if you like.)