Tonic Drinks & Waters

Daylily, Lily Bulb and Red Date Drink

traditionally used to nourish blood, calm the mind, and support restful sleep

In short: Daylily, Lily Bulb and Red Date Drink is a tonic drinks & water that traditionally used to nourish blood, calm the mind, and support restful sleep. It is most often made for sleep & calm, blood nourishment, everyday balance. Total time about 70 min. Key ingredients: daylily buds, lily bulb, red dates.

Prep
10 min
Cook
60 min
Total
70 min
Makes
900 ml
Daylily, Lily Bulb and Red Date Drink

Why people make this drink

Daylily (huang hua cai, sometimes called the “flower of forgetfulness” or wang you cao) is one of Nourilo’s favourite everyday food-therapy ingredients. It’s iron-rich — the iron content is said to be around twenty times that of spinach — and it’s prized for its lecithin, which is thought to support brain function and memory. Paired with the gently cooling lily bulb and sweet red dates, this drink has long been made in Chinese households for anyone who feels emotionally unsettled, has trouble sleeping, feels forgetful, or simply needs something restorative after a long stretch of mental work.

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.

  • 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.

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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