Soups
Fresh Lily Mung Bean Sweet Soup
traditionally used to clear summer heat, calm the mind, and support restful sleep
In short: Fresh Lily Mung Bean Sweet Soup is a soup that traditionally used to clear summer heat, calm the mind, and support restful sleep. It is most often made for cooling & summer heat, sleep & calm, everyday balance. Total time about 65 min. Key ingredients: mung beans, lily bulb, rock sugar.
Why people make this soup
On a sweltering summer night, when the heat lingers indoors and a good night’s sleep feels out of reach, this is the soup Nourilo reaches for. It has only three ingredients: mung beans, fresh lily bulbs, and a little rock sugar — yet the combination is wonderfully satisfying. In traditional Cantonese food therapy, the pairing of mung bean and lily bulb is one of the classic summer combinations, valued both for its cooling quality and its calming effect on the mind.
Fresh lily bulbs have a delicate, slightly sweet flavour and a soft, silky texture when cooked. They are available at Chinese and Asian grocery stores in summer. Dried lily bulbs can be substituted with equal effectiveness, though the fresh version has a more elegant taste.
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
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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