Soups
Fish Maw, Goji Berry and Frog Leg Soup (Hua Jiao Gou Qi Tian Ji Tang)
traditionally associated with nourishing collagen, brightening the complexion, and supporting kidney yin and yang
In short: Fish Maw, Goji Berry and Frog Leg Soup (Hua Jiao Gou Qi Tian Ji Tang) is a soup that traditionally associated with nourishing collagen, brightening the complexion, and supporting kidney yin and yang. It is most often made for children's wellness, skin & natural beauty, kidney & urinary wellness. Total time about 140 min. Key ingredients: goji berries, ginger, salt and seasoning.
Why people make this soup
Fish maw (hua jiao) is the dried and rehydrated swim bladder of large fish — it sounds unusual if you have not encountered it before, but it has been part of Cantonese fine dining and everyday wellness cooking for generations. What makes it special is its high concentration of collagen-related proteins, which are absorbed into the body through the digestive system. Eating collagen may not work in exactly the way topical skincare does, but many people who eat fish maw regularly report improvements in skin smoothness and moisture — and traditional food therapy has always understood the relationship between deep nourishment and outer appearance.
In traditional Chinese food therapy, fish maw is considered unusual because it simultaneously nourishes both kidney yin (the cooling, moistening aspect) and kidney yang (the warming, energising aspect) — most tonic ingredients tend to favour one or the other. It is also very low in sugar and fat, making it suitable for a much broader range of people than many rich-sounding tonic ingredients.
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.
- Goji berries
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
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
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