Soups
Isatis Leaf Mung Bean Soup; Lotus Leaf Winter Melon Coix Water
Two traditional summer drinks used to support wellness in flu season, clear heat, and resolve dampness
In short: Isatis Leaf Mung Bean Soup; Lotus Leaf Winter Melon Coix Water is a soup that Two traditional summer drinks used to support wellness in flu season, clear heat, and resolve dampness. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, cooling & summer heat. Total time about 85 min. Key ingredients: mung beans, lotus leaf, winter melon, job's tears / coix seed.
Why people make these drinks
When flu season strikes — or when the weather is hot and humid and people around you are falling sick — these two drinks are Nourilo’s recommended seasonal drinks. They work on different angles of summer illness:
The first, Isatis Leaf and Mung Bean Soup, leans into its strong heat-clearing and detoxifying reputation. Isatis leaf (da qing ye) is the same plant whose root (ban lan gen) became famous during SARS in Hong Kong and is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine for its antiviral and antibacterial associations. Combined with mung beans, this is a simple, potent summer protective drink.
The second, Lotus Leaf Winter Melon Coix Water, takes a slightly gentler, more aromatic approach — it drains summer dampness, helps with summer heat, clears fluid retention, and lifts the mood with the fragrance of fresh spearmint.
Recipe 1 — Isatis Leaf Mung Bean Soup (3–4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Isatis leaf | 38 g | Rinse |
| Mung beans | 76 g | Rinse and soak briefly |
Recipe 2 — Lotus Leaf Winter Melon Coix Water (3–4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh lotus leaf | 1 large sheet (12 g) | Rinse, cut into pieces |
| Winter melon | 600 g | Keep skin on; wash well, cut into chunks |
| Raw Job’s tears | 38 g | Rinse and soak briefly |
| Spearmint | 76 g | Remove stems, rinse; added at the end |
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.
- Mung beans
Breath hydrogen and methane were higher after wheat than after rice or mung bean noodles. Bloating scores after mung bean did not differ significantly from wheat, and mung bean produced gas levels similar to rice.Limitation: Small sample of 20 patients, with single meals tested rather than habitual intake, so longer-term effects of mung bean on symptoms are unknown.PubMed 31484315 · 1 more mung beans study - Job's tears (coix)
Myeloperoxidase activity rose significantly in the placebo group after 8 weeks but showed no significant change in the adlay tea group. Vascular endothelial function improved in the adlay group, especially in those over 40.Limitation: Participants were healthy adults and the outcomes were surrogate markers, so the results say little about clinical disease outcomes. Tea is a polyphenol-rich extract, not whole grain.PubMed 38945894 · 2 more job's tears (coix) 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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