Soups
Honeysuckle and Polygonum Chinense Soup
Traditionally used to clear heat and damp and ease damp-heat diarrhea
Why people make this tea
Polygonum chinense (huo tan mu) is a wild herb you might spot on a country walk — the older leaves carry a clear “V” mark and it sets tiny white flowers and shiny black fruit. Bro Niu brews this simple two-herb pot when the trouble is the damp-heat kind of gut upset: cramping, foul-smelling, urgent diarrhea several times a day, with a burning feeling and a hot, thirsty body. It is a humble country remedy, but a tidy one.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits damp-heat type acute enteritis or dysentery: belly cramps, frequent foul-smelling loose stools, a burning sensation, feverishness and thirst.
- Not suitable for those whose diarrhea comes from a weak, cold spleen and stomach.
- Because acute gut infections can worsen quickly, please see a doctor if symptoms are severe or do not settle.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Honeysuckle flower (yin hua): traditionally associated with clearing heat and resolving toxicity.
- Polygonum chinense (huo tan mu): sour and slightly cooling in nature; traditionally used to clear heat and damp, cool the blood and relieve itching.
Ingredients (1 serving)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honeysuckle flower | ~19 g (5 qian) | |
| Polygonum chinense | ~38 g (1 liang) | Dried form sold in some herb shops |
Method
- Rinse the honeysuckle and Polygonum chinense.
- Add 3 bowls of water and boil for 20 minutes.
- Drink as a warm tea.
Bro Niu’s tips
The herb pictured is Polygonum chinense; the dried form is sold in some Chinese herb shops. Remember, this soup is not for those with cold-and-weak-spleen diarrhea.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Sick A): I seem to have chronic intestinal blockage — mild belly pain, bloating, hard to pass stool. Can I use this honeysuckle and Polygonum chinense recipe? Bro Niu: This soup is not right for you — it is for enteritis. For chronic constipation it is best to see a TCM doctor, drink plenty of water, eat coarse-fibre foods and fruit on an empty stomach, and massage clockwise around the navel with both hands between meals to help bowel movement.
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Q (anonymous): For enteritis, should I use fresh huai shan (Chinese yam) or the dried kind? Bro Niu: Either fresh or dried huai shan works; adding some pan-fried hyacinth beans (chao bian dou) makes it even better.
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Q (anonymous): My child has chronic enteritis with mucus stools — what helps? Bro Niu: For chronic enteritis, simmer a congee with pan-fried hyacinth beans (~38 g), Chinese yam (~38 g), chestnuts (~113 g), 3 slices of ginger and 6 red dates, twice a week, to help strengthen the spleen and stomach and ease loose stools.
Published September 21, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
