Cistanche, Goji Berry and Schisandra Berry Lean Pork Soup

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 preventive food therapy long before symptoms 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.

Method

1. Slice the lean pork, blanch briefly in boiling water, then rinse.
2. Rinse and soak cistanche, goji berries, and schisandra briefly.
3. Place all ingredients in a pot with 1.8–2.1 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour until the liquid reduces to about 900 ml.
5. Serve warm.

Nourilo’s Tips

• This soup also benefits people with nervous exhaustion, persistent low mood, dizziness, and tinnitus.
• Not suitable when you have an active cold or infection — wait until the external pathogen has cleared.
• If the taste of schisandra is too sour or bitter for elderly family members, reduce it to 11 g (11 g) and add 8 g (8 g) of honey-fried licorice (zhi gan cao) to balance the flavour and warm the centre.
• A reader asked whether blueberries can also help with brain health. Nourilo noted that research from North America has found that daily blueberry intake is associated with slowed cognitive decline in some studies — so fresh or dried blueberries, or a daily blueberry supplement, can complement this soup approach.