Golden Needle (Daylily) and Black Wood Ear Chicken Soup

Why people make this soup

Two humble ingredients — golden needle (dried daylily buds) and black wood ear mushroom — combine in this classic Cantonese chicken soup to create something remarkably nourishing. Golden needle has an old nickname in Chinese herbal tradition: “forget-sorrow grass” (wang you cao), and it has long been associated with calming emotional restlessness and supporting sleep. Black wood ear mushroom carries its own reputation as a “blood purifier,” valued for supporting blood quality and skin health. Together with a slow-cooked free-range chicken, this soup becomes a deeply restorative pot that Nourilo particularly recommends for new mothers and anyone feeling run-down, pale, or cold in the extremities.