Soups
Cistanche, Goji Berry and Schisandra Berry Lean Pork Soup
Traditionally used to tonify kidney essence, support memory, and calm the mind
In short: Cistanche, Goji Berry and Schisandra Berry Lean Pork Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to tonify kidney essence, support memory, and calm the mind. It is most often made for children's wellness, kidney & urinary wellness, sleep & calm. Total time about 1 hr 15 min. Key ingredients: goji berries, schisandra berries, lean pork.
Why people make this soup
Age-related cognitive decline most commonly begins in the seventh or eighth decade of life — but its risk factors, including high blood pressure, high blood lipids, diabetes, heavy drinking, and smoking, often take root far earlier. Nourilo’s approach is to start supportive food therapy long before any concerns appear, through regular, gentle nourishment of the organs most closely linked to brain health in Chinese medicine: the kidneys, which govern essence (jing) and are considered the root of mental and physical vitality.
This soup combines cistanche (rou cong rong) — a desert parasitic plant prized in Chinese herbal medicine as a kidney yang tonic — with goji berries for liver-kidney nourishment and schisandra berries for their mind-calming, five-organ-balancing properties. Together they make a soup that traditional food therapy associates with improved memory, steadier moods, and reduced fatigue. The flavour has mild earthy and slightly sour notes from the schisandra, but is generally palatable.
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.
- Goji berries
Compared with placebo (n=80), the goji juice group (n=81) reported greater improvements in several self-rated symptoms, including stress, mental acuity, sleep quality and overall well-being, under a random effects model.Limitation: Outcomes were self-reported symptom questionnaires, and several symptoms showed significant heterogeneity across the four pooled trials of a single branded juice.PubMed 22897500 · 3 more goji berries studies - Schisandra berries
Compared with placebo, the extract group had a higher increase in right knee extensor strength (10.2 Nm) and left knee extensor strength (6.7 Nm). No group differences were found in muscle mass, inflammatory or antioxidative markers.Limitation: Small sample over 12 weeks, with an extract dose not comparable to eating the whole berry; muscle mass and blood markers did not differ.PubMed 33710261 · 2 more schisandra berries 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.
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Goji berries: A few cases of raised INR (a bleeding-risk marker) have been reported in people taking warfarin after drinking concentrated goji tea or wine. If you take a blood thinner, check with your doctor. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering — Lycium
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
Members only
Unlock the full method & Nourilo's tips
One payment, lifetime access to every one of our 2,344 recipes — step-by-step methods, preparation tips and serving notes.
- Full step-by-step method for this and all 2,344 recipes
- Nourilo's Tips — sourcing, substitutions and serving notes
- One-time payment · card, Apple Pay or Google Pay · no subscription, no renewals
Checking your access…
$59.99 one-time · all recipes
Sign in or create a free account, then pay once by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Continue with GoogleBy continuing with Google or email you confirm you are 16 or older and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
$59.99 one-time · all recipes
Signed in as ·
Secure checkout by Stripe. One-time payment, no renewals. Access is linked to your Nourilo account and never expires. By paying you agree to our Terms of Use; you can get a full refund within 14 days (refund policy).
Comments
Join the conversation — sign in or create a free account to comment.
Continue with GoogleBy continuing with Google or email you confirm you are 16 or older and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Loading comments…