Soups

Kelp, Rehmannia and Mung Bean Soup

Traditionally used to clear heat, cool the blood and ease summer-damp

In short: Kelp, Rehmannia and Mung Bean Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to clear heat, cool the blood and ease summer-damp. It is most often made for cooling & summer heat, skin & natural beauty. Total time about 1 hr 15 min. Key ingredients: mung bean, tangerine peel, rock sugar.

Prep
15 min
Cook
1 hr
Total
1 hr 15 min
Makes
0.9–1.2 L
Kelp, Rehmannia and Mung Bean Soup

Why people make this soup

In humid weather, young people often break out in stubborn pimples and acne, especially around the face and head — not a serious illness, Nourilo notes, but one that lingers for days and quietly wears on a person. This cooling soup of kelp, raw rehmannia and mung beans is traditionally used to clear heat, cool the blood and ease the damp-heat that feeds those breakouts.

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.

  • Mung beans · Randomized crossover trial, 20 participants · 2019
    Breath hydrogen and methane were higher after wheat than after rice or mung bean noodles. Bloating scores after mung bean did not differ significantly from wheat, and mung bean produced gas levels similar to rice.Limitation: Small sample of 20 patients, with single meals tested rather than habitual intake, so longer-term effects of mung bean on symptoms are unknown.PubMed 31484315 · 1 more mung beans study
  • Tangerine peel · Randomized controlled trial, 72 participants · 2025
    The tangerine peel drink group showed significant reductions in body weight and triglycerides after the intervention compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Safety markers showed no adverse effects. Gut microbiota and serum metabolite profiles also differed.Limitation: Small pilot trial with only 55 of 72 participants completing. The fermented product is not the same as plain tangerine peel, and the control group is not described.PubMed 40225325

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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