Cicada Flower, Pork Liver and Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo knows this condition from personal experience. After having children and returning to work, she found her body gradually depleted — and one of the early signs was visual floaters: dark threads, circles and transparent shapes drifting across her field of vision when she looked at the sky or a bright background. It was unsettling. Through food therapy and rest, the floaters eventually resolved without medication. Most floaters are indeed benign — a natural consequence of the vitreous gel in the eye becoming slightly less firm with age or fatigue — but Nourilo is always careful to emphasise: get your eyes checked first. If a doctor confirms there is no serious pathology, this soup is a gentle and genuinely nourishing way to support the eyes from within.

Method

1. Rinse the cicada flower and soak in clean water until rehydrated. Reserve the soaking water.
2. Rinse and soak the roseleaf raspberry kernel and goji berries.
3. Slice pork liver and lean pork, then blanch briefly in boiling water and rinse.
4. Place all ingredients — including the cicada flower soaking water — in a pot with 1.8–2.1 L of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 1 hour.
6. Serve and eat the solid ingredients along with the broth.

Nourilo’s Tips

Roseleaf raspberry kernel (rui ren rou) is a lesser-known herb specifically indicated for eye conditions in classical Chinese herbalism — it is worth seeking out at a Chinese herb shop rather than omitting. This soup is suitable for anyone with declining vision, not only those with floaters. For those who cannot find cicada flower, an alternative is to simmer prepared fleeceflower root (zhi shou wu) with goji berries, chrysanthemum and black beans — a formula that also traditionally supports eye health. If you have floaters and are concerned, please have an eye examination first to rule out retinal issues.