Astragalus, Black Bean and Southern Jujube Soup (Bei Qi Hei Dou Nan Zao Tang)

Why people make this soup

Sweating in the heat is completely normal. But some people sweat heavily throughout the day with little exertion, or wake at night with their clothes damp — and these experiences are genuinely draining. In Chinese medicine, the first pattern (sweating during the day, often accompanied by fatigue, breathlessness, and easy colds) is called zi han or “spontaneous sweating,” and is linked to qi deficiency. The second (sweating during sleep, stopping on waking) is called dao han or “night sweating,” and is linked to yin deficiency. Both are treated as signs that the body’s surface is not holding securely. This three-ingredient soup has been Nourilo’s standard recommendation for both: astragalus to strengthen the wei qi and close the surface, black beans to consolidate essence, and southern jujubes to nourish and settle.