Soups

Green and Red Radish Beef Shank Soup

traditionally used to support spleen function and promote healthy urination

In short: Green and Red Radish Beef Shank Soup is a soup that traditionally used to support spleen function and promote healthy urination. It is most often made for digestive wellness, children's wellness, liver wellness. Total time about 2 hr 15 min. Key ingredients: green radish, carrot, ginger.

Prep
15 min
Cook
2 hr
Total
2 hr 15 min
Makes
0.9–1.2 L
Green and Red Radish Beef Shank Soup

Why people make this soup

Green-and-red radish soup is one of the most beloved weeknight soups in Cantonese households. The two radishes bring complementary flavours — the green radish adds a gentle peppery edge while the carrot lends natural sweetness — and together with tender beef shank, the broth turns wonderfully clear and fragrant. In traditional food therapy, this combination is said to support the spleen and stomach, ease fluid metabolism, and help the body clear mild internal heat. Families who cook with gas burners sometimes mention that radish juice has long been used as a home remedy after accidental gas exposure, although nothing replaces calling emergency services in a genuine emergency.

What studies say about the key ingredients

Traditional use is not the same as clinical proof. Here is the strongest human research we found for each ingredient, limitations included.

  • Ginger · Meta-analysis, 23 studies · 2022
    Overall, acute and delayed nausea and vomiting did not differ significantly between ginger and control groups. A subgroup taking 1 g/day or less for over four days had less acute vomiting (OR 0.30).Limitation: Clinical heterogeneity between trials required subgroup analyses, and the authors state that sufficiently large, high-quality RCTs are still needed.PubMed 36501010 · 3 more ginger studies

From the Nourilo Research Library. Findings come from specific doses, extracts and populations and may not apply to a home-cooked recipe.

Safety first — read before you cook

This is a traditional food, not a treatment. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist before making it a regular part of your diet if you:

  • are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a young child;
  • take regular medicines — especially blood thinners, blood-pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing drugs;
  • have a kidney, liver or heart condition, or a known food allergy.

Stop eating it and seek advice if you notice an allergic reaction or feel unwell. Safety notes reviewed 8 October 2026 · How we write safety notes

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