Dried Lychee, White Peony and Lily Bulb Soup

Why people make this soup

Fresh lychees come into season in abundance, and while they are a wonderful summer fruit, Nourilo is careful to note that eating too many on an empty stomach — particularly in one sitting — can cause a spike in blood sugar severe enough to be dangerous. Five to six at a time is a sensible limit. Dried lychees, on the other hand, are a more concentrated and shelf-stable ingredient that keeps their nutritional value even when the fresh fruit is out of season. In Chinese food therapy, lychee is associated with nourishing the liver and spleen, moving qi, supporting blood health, warming the digestion and calming the heart-mind. Combined with white peony root — one of the most widely used herbs for soothing a “stagnant” or overworked liver — and lily bulb, which has a long tradition in Chinese herbalism as a gentle mind-calming herb, this soup is intended for people who feel emotionally tight, easily irritated, unable to sleep properly or low in spirits. Chrysanthemum adds a brightening, heat-dispersing quality and gives the finished soup a light, pleasant fragrance.