Soups
Dried Ginger, Licorice and Poria Soup
Traditionally used to warm the spleen, dispel cold-damp, and ease lower body heaviness and joint discomfort
In short: Dried Ginger, Licorice and Poria Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to warm the spleen, dispel cold-damp, and ease lower body heaviness and joint discomfort. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, digestive wellness, cooling & summer heat. Total time about 50 min. Key ingredients: poria, licorice root, ginger, red dates.
Why people make this soup
When the weather turns damp and chilly, people with a tendency toward achy joints, heavy lower limbs, or a sore lower back often notice their symptoms worsen. In Chinese food therapy, this pattern is described as cold-damp settling in the lower body, and the classic response is to warm and move — using ingredients that are thought to gently drive out the cold and drain excess damp. Nourilo recommends this soup, based on a well-known traditional formula, for people who feel a persistent heaviness in the lower back and legs, mild swelling of the extremities, and general cold sensitivity in the joints. The formula is warming rather than stimulating, and can be simmered with a piece of lean pork to make it more of a proper meal.
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.
- Licorice root
Compared with placebo plus the same low-calorie diet, licorice extract was associated with greater improvements in body weight, BMI, body fat, lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR at 8 weeks.Limitation: Small sample, short 8-week duration, and an extract dose that is not comparable to licorice eaten as food; the authors call for confirmatory research.PubMed 39080737 · 3 more licorice root studies - Ginger
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 - Red dates
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
- Licorice root: Contains glycyrrhizin. Large amounts or long-term use have been linked to raised blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, and even smaller amounts have caused problems in people with high blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, or a high-salt diet. Large amounts are unsafe in pregnancy, and it can interact with corticosteroids. Source: NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root
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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