Soups
Hairy Gourd, Job's Tears and Walnut Soup
Traditionally supports digestion and a healthy, moist complexion
In short: Hairy Gourd, Job's Tears and Walnut Soup is a soup that Traditionally supports digestion and a healthy, moist complexion. It is most often made for digestive wellness, skin & natural beauty, weight & metabolism. Total time about 1 hr 45 min. Key ingredients: hairy gourd, walnuts, red dates, aged tangerine peel.
Why people make this soup
Summer is gourd season, so Cantonese kitchens reach for all kinds of melons for soup. Nourilo notes that the older generation favours hairy gourd because it’s considered the most “kindly” of the gourds — nourishing without being too cold. Hairy gourd is really the young form of winter melon, but milder and gentler. This soup is traditionally used to look after the digestion and support a moist, healthy complexion — perfect for anyone who wants a light, clearing bowl but worries about cold soups upsetting the stomach.
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.
- Job's tears (coix)
Myeloperoxidase activity rose significantly in the placebo group after 8 weeks but showed no significant change in the adlay tea group. Vascular endothelial function improved in the adlay group, especially in those over 40.Limitation: Participants were healthy adults and the outcomes were surrogate markers, so the results say little about clinical disease outcomes. Tea is a polyphenol-rich extract, not whole grain.PubMed 38945894 · 2 more job's tears (coix) studies - Walnuts
Office systolic BP changed by -4.61 mm Hg with walnuts versus -0.59 mm Hg in controls (P=0.051); 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP difference was not significant (P=0.111). No diastolic BP changes were observed.Limitation: Only 236 of 305 participants (75%) completed the study, and the main between-group differences did not reach conventional significance.PubMed 30879358 · 2 more walnuts studies - Red dates
Jujube was associated with significantly lower BMI and triglycerides, and lower fasting blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. LDL and total cholesterol fell only in some subgroups. HDL, AST and ALT did not change significantly.Limitation: The authors state the overall quality of the evidence is limited, and results varied significantly by dose, treatment duration and disease type.PubMed 40399274 · 3 more red dates 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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