Floating Wheat and Black Bean Soup (Fu Xiao Mai Hei Dou Tang)

Why people make this soup

Many young children sweat heavily during sleep — soaking their pyjamas despite a comfortable room temperature, with sweat that has no salt smell and is noticeably different from the normal sweat of exertion. In traditional Chinese food therapy, this kind of soft, odourless sweating is called “deficiency sweating” (xu han) and is considered a sign that the body’s ability to hold moisture in place is temporarily weakened. If left unaddressed over time, it can contribute to fatigue, poor concentration, and a general sense of depletion. Adults with similar night sweats — waking with damp clothing or bedding — can benefit from the same approach. This simple, gentle soup is one of the most frequently recommended remedies in Nourilo’s many years of answering readers’ questions, and the feedback has consistently been positive.