Soups

Burdock, Old Cucumber and Dried Duck Gizzard Soup

Traditionally used to nourish yin, clear heat and soothe the throat

In short: Burdock, Old Cucumber and Dried Duck Gizzard Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to nourish yin, clear heat and soothe the throat. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, cleansing & regularity, cooling & summer heat. Total time about 1 hr 50 min. Key ingredients: burdock root, old cucumber, figs, duck gizzards.

Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 30 min
Total
1 hr 50 min
Makes
1.2 L
Burdock, Old Cucumber and Dried Duck Gizzard Soup

Why people make this soup

After a string of meals out — too much MSG-heavy food, perhaps — Nourilo found his throat going dry and uncomfortable, though not yet truly inflamed or painful. So he went straight out for some yin-nourishing, heat-clearing ingredients to simmer a corrective soup. As he says, heading trouble off early always beats treating it once you’re sick. This burdock, old cucumber and dried duck gizzard soup is traditionally used to nourish yin, clear heat, moisten the lungs and ease the throat.

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.

  • Burdock root · Randomized controlled trial, 60 participants · 2026
    Compared with placebo, root powder was associated with higher superoxide dismutase and catalase, lower malondialdehyde and C-reactive protein, and smaller ovarian volumes. Hirsutism and menstrual frequency results are not reported in the abstract.Limitation: Small single-centre trial of 60 women, recruited by convenience sampling. The 460 mg/day dose is much smaller than typical food intake.PubMed 41757842 · 2 more burdock root studies

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.

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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