Soups
Almond Juice, Ginkgo Nut, Walnut and Euryale Soup
traditionally associated with nourishing the lungs, kidneys, and spleen to support children with recurrent asthma during remission periods
In short: Almond Juice, Ginkgo Nut, Walnut and Euryale Soup is a soup that traditionally associated with nourishing the lungs, kidneys, and spleen to support children with recurrent asthma during remission periods. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, digestive wellness, women's wellness. Total time about 1 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: ginkgo nuts, walnuts, euryale seeds, tangerine peel.
Why people make this soup
Asthma in children is one of the most distressing things for a parent to deal with — the wheezing, the interrupted sleep, the repeated doctor visits. In traditional Chinese food therapy, prolonged respiratory weakness in children is associated with a pattern of deficiency affecting the lungs, spleen, and kidneys together. When a child is in a calm period — no active wheezing, no fever, no acute illness — this is the right time to gently build up their constitution with nourishing food.
Nourilo recommends this soup specifically for the remission phase of childhood asthma. It brings together ingredients that traditional food therapy considers beneficial for the respiratory system and the body’s foundational energy: ginkgo nuts to help ease wheezing, walnuts to warm and support the kidneys, euryale seeds to strengthen the spleen, and almond powder to moisten the lungs. It is a pleasant, mildly sweet soup that the whole family can drink.
Method
- Remove the green embryo (core) from each ginkgo nut — this is essential for safety.
- Soak and rinse the euryale seeds and dried tangerine peel.
- Mix the almond powder with 1 tablespoon of water to form a smooth slurry; set aside.
- Place all ingredients except the almond slurry into a pot with 2.1 L of water.
- Cook on a medium simmer for 1 hour.
- Stir in the almond slurry and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy both the soup and the ingredients. Can be sweetened with rock sugar or served as a savoury soup with lean pork or quail.
Nourilo’s Tips
The whole family can drink this soup. The ginkgo nut core contains a mildly toxic substance and must be removed without fail. For children, a helpful guideline is 1 nut per year of age. This soup works both as a sweet dessert soup with rock sugar, or as a savoury soup — just add lean pork or quail (zhe gu) for better effect. During active illness or an asthma attack, do not serve this soup; wait until the child is well and in a calm period.
What studies say about the key ingredients
Traditional use is not the same as clinical proof. Here is the strongest human research we found for each ingredient, limitations included.
- Walnuts
Office systolic BP changed by -4.61 mm Hg with walnuts versus -0.59 mm Hg in controls (P=0.051); 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP difference was not significant (P=0.111). No diastolic BP changes were observed.Limitation: Only 236 of 305 participants (75%) completed the study, and the main between-group differences did not reach conventional significance.PubMed 30879358 · 2 more walnuts studies - Tangerine peel
The tangerine peel drink group showed significant reductions in body weight and triglycerides after the intervention compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Safety markers showed no adverse effects. Gut microbiota and serum metabolite profiles also differed.Limitation: Small pilot trial with only 55 of 72 participants completing. The fermented product is not the same as plain tangerine peel, and the control group is not described.PubMed 40225325
From the Nourilo Research Library. Findings come from specific doses, extracts and populations and may not apply to a home-cooked recipe.
Safety first — read before you cook
This is a traditional food, not a treatment. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist before making it a regular part of your diet if you:
- are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a young child;
- take regular medicines — especially blood thinners, blood-pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing drugs;
- have a kidney, liver or heart condition, or a known food allergy.
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Ginkgo nuts: Fresh ginkgo seeds are toxic, and serious side effects have occurred after eating roasted seeds. Always cook them thoroughly, keep to the small amount in the recipe, and take extra care when serving children. Source: NIH NCCIH — Ginkgo
Stop eating it and seek advice if you notice an allergic reaction or feel unwell. Safety notes reviewed 8 October 2026 · How we write safety notes
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