Ginkgo, Walnut, Foxnut and Francolin Soup

Why people make this soup

If you have a child who catches every respiratory infection that comes around, who coughs for weeks after a cold seems to clear, or who wakes at night with a wheeze — this soup is the kind of recipe Chinese families return to again and again. It is not a quick fix or an emergency remedy; it is the opposite. It is a slow, deeply nourishing soup meant to be drunk when the child is well, over time, to gradually build up a stronger foundation in the organs that Chinese food therapy associates with breathing and immunity: the lungs, the spleen, and the kidneys. Traditional thinking holds that “the spleen is the source of phlegm” — meaning a weak digestive system constantly produces excess mucus. Strengthening all three organs together is how you break the cycle of repeated illness.