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Five-Color Vegetable Soup

traditionally associated with supporting cardiovascular health and balancing the body's acid-alkaline environment

In short: Five-Color Vegetable Soup is a soup that traditionally associated with supporting cardiovascular health and balancing the body's acid-alkaline environment. It is most often made for heart & circulation, everyday balance. Total time about 1 hr 45 min. Key ingredients: carrot, corn, chinese yam, shiitake mushrooms.

By · Published under our editorial policy · Research library

Prep
15 min
Cook
1 hr 30 min
Total
1 hr 45 min
Makes
1.2–1.5 L
Heart & CirculationEveryday Balance
Five-Color Vegetable Soup

Why people make this soup

In traditional Chinese food therapy, the idea of “five colors nourishing five organ systems” has guided kitchen wisdom for centuries. Green feeds the liver, red nourishes the heart, yellow supports the spleen, white benefits the lungs, and black strengthens the kidneys. Nourilo’s Five-Color Vegetable Soup brings all five together in a single pot — green cabbage, orange-red carrot, yellow corn, white yam, and brown-black shiitake — creating a sweet, clear broth that is traditionally associated with keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check and balancing the body’s internal environment.

This is not a medicinal formula requiring precise matching; it is everyday cooking wisdom. The soup’s appeal is its simplicity: fresh market vegetables, one piece of pork for body, and a long slow simmer that draws out natural sweetness.

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.

  • Shiitake mushrooms · Randomized controlled trial · 2015
    Daily shiitake intake was associated with increased ex vivo proliferation of γδ-T and NK-T cells, higher salivary sIgA and lower serum CRP, along with changes in cytokine patterns. The comparison was before versus after intake in two dose groups.Limitation: Parallel 5 g and 10 g dose groups with no placebo or non-mushroom control. Short 4-week study in healthy young adults, with mostly ex vivo immune markers.PubMed 25866155 · 2 more shiitake mushrooms 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.

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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