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.