Fresh Chinese Yam, Lotus Seed, Lily Bulb & Longan Soup

Why people make this soup

Traditional Chinese medicine holds a simple standard for good health: eat well, sleep well, and have regular bowel movements. It is a simple standard — but for many people, the second item on that list is the hardest to achieve. Life pressure, long hours, and a general sense of being unable to switch off at night have made poor sleep quality incredibly common.

This soup draws on a cluster of ingredients that Chinese food therapists have relied on for generations to calm what traditional medicine calls the “heart spirit” (xin shen) — the mental and emotional dimension of wellbeing. It is gentle and naturally sweet, tasting more like a comforting soup than any kind of medicine. Suitable for those who have trouble falling asleep, those who wake in the small hours and cannot get back to sleep, and those whose dreams are too vivid and restless.