Soups

Cordyceps Flower, Chinese Yam, Goji Berry and Pearl Meat Soup

traditionally associated with supporting vision and nourishing the liver and kidneys

In short: Cordyceps Flower, Chinese Yam, Goji Berry and Pearl Meat Soup is a soup that traditionally associated with supporting vision and nourishing the liver and kidneys. It is most often made for children's wellness, liver wellness, kidney & urinary wellness. Total time about 2 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: cordyceps flower, chinese yam, goji berries, red dates.

Prep
20 min
Cook
2 hr
Total
2 hr 20 min
Makes
0.9–1.2 L
Cordyceps Flower, Chinese Yam, Goji Berry and Pearl Meat Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo happened upon a particularly fine batch of Korean-grown cordyceps flower at a specialty dried-goods shop — more fragrant and visually appealing than the usual mainland variety — and decided to pair it with pearl meat, a prized ingredient among Hong Kong home cooks for eye and liver support. The result is a soup he particularly recommends for people who spend their days staring at computer screens and notice their vision gradually becoming less sharp.

Cordyceps flower (Cordyceps militaris) is a cultivated fungus — not the same as the far more expensive wild Cordyceps sinensis, but still widely used in Chinese food therapy. Traditional texts associate it with supporting kidney and liver function, boosting qi, and helping the body recover from fatigue. Combined with goji berries and pearl meat, both classically linked to supporting the eyes and brightening vision, this is one of Nourilo’s go-to everyday nourishing soups.

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.

  • Cordyceps flower · Randomized controlled trial · 2015
    Compared with placebo capsules, the C. militaris group had greater increases from baseline in NK cell activity, lymphocyte proliferation, IL-2 and IFN-γ. No statistically significant adverse reactions were reported.Limitation: Only healthy men were studied, for 4 weeks, with 39 and 40 per group. Findings are immune-marker changes rather than clinical outcomes, and the capsules were an ethanol-treated preparation.PubMed 26284906 · 2 more cordyceps flower studies
  • Goji berries · Meta-analysis, 161 participants · 2012
    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
  • Red dates · Meta-analysis, 483 participants · 2025
    Jujube was associated with significantly lower BMI and triglycerides, and lower fasting blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. LDL and total cholesterol fell only in some subgroups. HDL, AST and ALT did not change significantly.Limitation: The authors state the overall quality of the evidence is limited, and results varied significantly by dose, treatment duration and disease type.PubMed 40399274 · 3 more red dates 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

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