Fresh Chinese Yam, Lotus Seed, Euryale and Tangerine Peel Soup

Why people make this soup

City life is stressful — long hours, tension, overthinking, and irregular meals — and in the food-therapy tradition this is exactly the recipe for a “weak spleen qi.” Bro Niu sees the familiar signs: poor appetite, bloating after eating, loose stools, tiredness, dull complexion, drooling in sleep. As the old saying goes, “when the spleen and stomach weaken, a hundred ills arise.” This gentle soup is offered for those who notice such signs and want to rebuild patiently.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suits those with weak spleen qi: poor appetite, bloating after meals, a tendency to loose stools or tiredness.
• Those prone to constipation should not take it too often (yam, lotus seed and euryale are binding).

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Fresh Chinese yam (huai shan): Traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and support digestion.
• Lotus seed (lian zi): Traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and calm the mind.
• Euryale seed (qian shi): Traditionally used to firm and support digestion.
• Dried tangerine peel (chen pi): Traditionally used to regulate qi and harmonise the middle.
• Red date (hong zao): Traditionally used to nourish blood and support the spleen.

Ingredients (4 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Fresh Chinese yam	~150 g (4 liang)	Peeled, cut in sections
Fresh lotus seeds	~113 g (3 liang)	Cores removed
Euryale seeds	~38 g (1 liang)	Soaked, rinsed
Red dates	5	Pitted
Dried tangerine peel	1 piece	Soaked, rinsed

Method

1. Peel the fresh yam and cut into sections; remove the cores from the fresh lotus seeds; soak and rinse the euryale and tangerine peel; pit the red dates.
2. Add everything to 7 bowls of water and simmer 1 hour, reducing to 4 bowls.
3. Serve, eating the soup and the ingredients together.

Bro Niu’s tips

This soup is fragrant and tasty, fine for all ages. If you have no fresh yam or fresh lotus seeds, dried ones (about 1 liang each) work. If there is heaviness from dampness plus poor sleep, add about 5 qian of poria (fu ling). But those prone to constipation should not take too much.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (anonymous reader): My 4.5-year-old often gets a cold nose tip and pale face in winter, and falls ill the next day even when dressed warmly; the doctor said cold has entered her lungs. What food therapy can help on the spot? Bro Niu: She may have a yang-deficient constitution. Use ingredients like longan (yuan rou), red dates and tiger-milk mushroom (hu ru ling zhi) in congee or soup, with chicken, quail, mutton or beef. For example, simmer chicken congee with 5 qian yam, 10 longan and 4 red dates — mutton is even better. In cold weather, a warm tea of red date, ginger and brown sugar helps.
• Q (Fermi): My mother is 92, recently hospitalised for gallbladder inflammation, on antibiotics 17 days; her feet are swollen and she won’t eat. What can I cook to give her an appetite? I made this fresh yam soup with a little lean pork and poria — is that okay? Bro Niu: For an elderly person with poor appetite, cook red date and millet congee, with a little lotus-root starch to thicken; small frequent meals are best. For swollen feet, simmer rice beans, hyacinth beans and winter-melon peel (5 qian each) — it gently helps the body release fluid without being cold or drying. The fresh yam, poria and lean pork soup is fine and helps strengthen the spleen and support qi.
• Q (Ada): I’ve had a blocked nose, some loose stools and sweaty palms and soles, plus sweating in sleep — could it be spleen weakness? I have a chocolate cyst on my ovary; can I drink this soup? Bro Niu: You can drink this soup; add 3 qian of schisandra (wu wei zi) to help with night sweats. Day to day, eat and drink warm, and avoid poultry and pond fish raised on hormones.

---

Published February 7, 2026 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.