Ginkgo Nut, Walnut, Almond and Pork Lung Soup

Why people make this soup

When a child has a weak constitution and catches every cold that comes around — and when each cold turns into a cough that lingers for weeks, sometimes progressing to a wheeze or retching — families look for ways to gently strengthen the lungs over time. This soup is not for the acute phase of illness (especially not when there is fever), but rather as a recovery and maintenance soup once the worst has passed. Ginkgo nuts, walnuts, and pork lung work together in the Chinese food-therapy framework to warm and nourish lung and kidney energy, helping to rebuild the body’s respiratory resilience. The approach also emphasizes good hygiene and frequent handwashing as the first line of defense.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for the whole family, including young children (with age-appropriate ginkgo quantities)
• Particularly beneficial for those with lung-kidney deficiency patterns: chronic post-illness cough, mild wheezing, or easily recurring respiratory symptoms
• Do NOT give this soup during active fever or acute infection — wait until the acute phase has resolved
• Do NOT eat the raw ginkgo nuts; they must always be cooked, with the inner core removed

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Ginkgo nut (bai guo): Traditionally associated with astringent and warming properties that calm cough and wheeze and reduce phlegm; contains a mild natural toxin (ginkgotoxin) in the core and when eaten raw, which is why the core is always removed and quantities are limited by age
• Walnut (he tao rou): In Chinese food therapy, walnuts are associated with warming and nourishing the lungs and kidneys — a key pairing for chronic respiratory weakness
• Sweet apricot kernels (nan xing): Moisten and nourish the lungs, complementing the warming action of walnut and ginkgo
• Pork lung (zhu fei): The traditional Chinese principle of eating “like for like” (yi zang bu zang) applies here; pork lung is used to support and nourish the human lung
• Dried figs and red dates: Harmonize the recipe and add gentle sweetness and blood-supporting properties

Ingredients (4–5 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Ginkgo nuts	10 pieces	Shell, remove inner green core/embryo — do not skip this step
Walnut meat	1 liang (~37 g)
Sweet apricot kernels (nan xing)	5 qian (~19 g)
Dried figs	3 pieces
Red dates	4 pieces
Pork bones	half jin (~300 g)	Blanch to remove impurities
Pork lung	half a lung (~300 g)	Flush with water repeatedly, cut into chunks, blanch
Water	8 bowls (~1.9 L)

Method

1. Clean the pork lung: attach it to a tap and fill with water, then squeeze out and repeat several times until the water runs fairly clear. Cut into chunks and blanch in boiling water; drain and rinse.
2. Blanch the pork bones separately in boiling water; drain.
3. Shell the ginkgo nuts and carefully remove the inner green core (embryo) from each nut.
4. Rinse remaining ingredients.
5. Place all ingredients into a pot with 8 bowls of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for about 2 hours until reduced to approximately 4–5 bowls.
7. Serve and eat both the soup and the solid ingredients.

Bro Niu’s tips

For children, Bro Niu’s guideline on ginkgo nuts is simple and practical: one year of age, one nut; two years old, two nuts — and so on proportionally. For a pot serving the whole family, 15–20 nuts is appropriate. The inner green core (embryo) must always be removed before cooking — it contains higher concentrations of the alkaloids responsible for toxicity. This soup is a tonic for between illnesses, not during active fever. For a child currently running a fever with phlegmy cough, use a different, more clearing recipe first (such as north apricot kernel with loquat leaf and pear), and come back to this one during recovery.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (takni): My son had a runny nose for two days. I gave him perilla-and-magnolia-flower tea for two days and the runny nose improved. But last night he started coughing and seemed distressed and wheezy in the morning, with a slight fever of 38 degrees. Should I make the ginkgo walnut soup? Bro Niu: The ginkgo walnut soup is better suited for healthy, non-acute periods. Since your son has a fever right now, he should see a doctor first. For the cough and phlegm while you wait, you can try north apricot kernels 3 qian, loquat leaf 3 qian, and 2 cored pears in 5 bowls of water, simmered to 2 bowls — this helps clear phlegm and calm cough without being too warming.

• Q (shadow): My son has been drinking this soup and it really helped with his wheezing. But recently after a high fever he is coughing heavily again with a lot of phlegm rattling in his chest. What should I do? Bro Niu: After a fever, if the phlegm is thick and heavy, focus on clearing the phlegm first with perilla seed (su zi), sow thistle seed (lai fu zi), and ginger — then return to this soup once the phlegm is less. Strengthening the spleen (pi) after illness also helps, since Chinese medicine sees the spleen as the “source of phlegm.”

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Published March 7, 2014 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.