Ginger, White Radish, and Spearmint Soup

Why people make this soup

The moment you feel that first scratch in the throat, the watery runny nose, or that heavy foggy feeling in the head — that early window is exactly when this soup is most useful. Nourilo explains that when a cold is just beginning (what traditional Chinese medicine calls “exterior pattern”), the right strategy is to encourage the body to gently push the pathogen outward through light perspiration, while calming any digestive upset that often accompanies cold symptoms.

White radish is the foundation here: it clears heat from the stomach and lungs, aids digestion, and relieves bloating. On its own, radish is somewhat cooling and can be harsh on people with a cold constitution — but adding generous slices of ginger and the aromatic spearmint (xiang hua cai) transforms it into something warm and opening. The spearmint variety used in Cantonese cooking specifically has a liver-qi moving quality that helps with the headache, chest tightness, and general irritability that can accompany a cold.