Double-Fruit Walnut Soup (Ginkgo Monk-Fruit Walnut Tea)

Why people make this soup

Acute bronchitis that isn’t properly cared for can settle into a chronic form, with a cough that keeps returning, plenty of phlegm, and bouts lasting two or three months a year. Over time the constant coughing can leave both lungs and kidneys feeling depleted — cough, wheeze, fatigue, an achy lower back and weak knees, and a faint wheezing in the throat. This Double-Fruit Walnut Soup is traditionally regarded as supporting the lungs and kidneys and as helping to “gather in” the lungs and settle the breath, making it a fitting choice for those with a lung-and-kidney-depleted picture.

Method

1. Shell the ginkgo nuts and remove the cores. Break open the monk fruit. Rinse the walnut meat.
2. Simmer all ingredients in 1.5 L of water for about 1 hour, reducing to about 600 ml.
3. Drink the soup and eat the ginkgo nuts and walnut.

Nourilo’s Tips

Ginkgo is traditionally regarded as gathering in the lungs and settling the breath, but the core is mildly toxic and must be removed. This soup is also traditionally used to help children with a persistent cough — for them, halve the amounts. If you are getting over a cold, this soup can be taken about twice a week afterward as a gentle, supportive tea for the airways.