Soups

Fresh Dendrobium, Yam, Glehnia and Solomon's Seal Quail Soup

traditionally used to nourish yin, clear lung and stomach heat, and support those who cannot tolerate tonic herbs

In short: Fresh Dendrobium, Yam, Glehnia and Solomon's Seal Quail Soup is a soup that traditionally used to nourish yin, clear lung and stomach heat, and support those who cannot tolerate tonic herbs. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, digestive wellness, liver wellness. Total time about 2 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: dendrobium, chinese yam, goji berries, ginger.

Prep
20 min
Cook
2 hr
Total
2 hr 20 min
Makes
1.2 L
Fresh Dendrobium, Yam, Glehnia and Solomon's Seal Quail Soup

Why people make this soup

Some people find that warming or strongly tonic foods leave them feeling worse — dry mouth, mild nausea, heartburn, or a persistent feeling of internal heat. In Chinese food-therapy tradition, this pattern is often described as stomach or lung yin deficiency, and the remedy is not to take stronger tonics but to nourish more gently with cooling, moistening ingredients.

This soup is built for exactly that purpose. Fresh dendrobium (shi hu) is one of the most valued herbs in this context — a succulent orchid stem that is traditionally associated with nourishing stomach yin, generating fluids, and clearing low-grade internal heat without being cold or harsh. Combined with fresh yam, glehnia root, and Solomon’s seal, all of which are gentle, moistening herbs, and with the mild protein of quail, the result is a soup that nourishes without burdening the digestive system.

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.

  • Dendrobium · Randomized controlled trial · 2025
    Salivary flow rate and oral mucosal scores improved more in the Dendrobium group than in the control group using vitamin B12 rinse alone (P < .05). Serum IL-10 rose from baseline, and oral bacterial composition differed.Limitation: Small single-hospital sample; the Dendrobium group also used the B12 rinse, and the abstract does not say whether the control group received a placebo drink.PubMed 39811879 · 2 more dendrobium 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
  • Ginger · Meta-analysis, 23 studies · 2022
    Overall, acute and delayed nausea and vomiting did not differ significantly between ginger and control groups. A subgroup taking 1 g/day or less for over four days had less acute vomiting (OR 0.30).Limitation: Clinical heterogeneity between trials required subgroup analyses, and the authors state that sufficiently large, high-quality RCTs are still needed.PubMed 36501010 · 3 more ginger 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

Members only

Unlock the full method & Nourilo's tips

One payment, lifetime access to every one of our 2,344 recipes — step-by-step methods, preparation tips and serving notes.

  • Full step-by-step method for this and all 2,344 recipes
  • Nourilo's Tips — sourcing, substitutions and serving notes
  • One-time payment · card, Apple Pay or Google Pay · no subscription, no renewals

Checking your access…

Spot an error? Report a correction

Comments

Loading comments…