Bei Qi Poria Damp-Clearing Soup (Bei Qi Fu Ling Qu Shi Tang)

Why people make this soup

Many people today live under sustained stress, skip meals, or eat at odd hours — all of which, in Chinese medicine thinking, can gradually weaken the spleen’s ability to transform and transport fluids through the body. When that happens, dampness accumulates: you feel heavy, puffy (especially around the face or ankles), persistently low on energy, and your digestion feels sluggish. This straightforward four-herb soup addresses exactly that pattern. The formula is anchored by a generous amount of astragalus root (bei qi), used here at a higher dose than usual — the other herbs, poria and alisma, work alongside it to move fluid through the body rather than letting it stagnate.

Method

1. Rinse all ingredients briefly. Pit the red dates.
2. Place everything in a pot with 1.5 L of cold water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
4. Cook for 1 hour until the liquid reduces to about 600 ml.
5. Strain (or drink with the softer herbs as you prefer) and divide between two servings.

Nourilo’s Tips

The leftover herbs can be reboiled a second time with 900 ml of water to yield about 1 more bowl of soup — this soup holds up well for a second brew. If you find yourself running hot or with strong liver fire (red eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, easily angered), this soup is not the right match for you at that time. For anyone with consistent flooding — redness, anger, heat — choose a different formula. People who tend to flare up easily should substitute honey dates (mi zao) for red dates to reduce the warming effect. If your face or head feels prone to overheating, try adding a touch of cooling herbs with a practitioner’s guidance.