Soups

Kudzu, Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup

Traditionally used to clear summer heat and support clearer, acne-prone skin

In short: Kudzu, Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to clear summer heat and support clearer, acne-prone skin. It is most often made for cooling & summer heat, skin & natural beauty. Total time about 3 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: kudzu root, mung beans, job's tears / chinese pearl barley, honey dates.

Prep
20 min
Cook
3 hr
Total
3 hr 20 min
Makes
1.2–1.5 L
Kudzu, Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup

Why people make this soup

In hot, busy weather Nourilo finds many people get tight or aching shoulders, necks and back muscles, and outdoor workers especially feel sticky with oily sweat. A cooling pot of kudzu soup is a comforting way to settle things down. Kudzu root is traditionally associated with relaxing the nerves and muscles, calming the mood, and easing heat in the stomach while quenching thirst. Paired with mung beans and Job’s tears — both linked to clearing heat — it is a friendly bowl for those troubled by heat-type skin problems and 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.

  • Kudzu root · Randomized controlled trial, 20 participants · 2015
    The kudzu group reduced intake from 3.0 to 1.9 beers after treatment, while the placebo group rose from 2.7 to 3.4. Kudzu-treated participants also drank more slowly.Limitation: Very small sample (10 per group) with a single dose in a laboratory setting, so results may not carry over to everyday drinking.PubMed 26048637 · 2 more kudzu root studies
  • 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
  • Job's tears (coix) · Randomized controlled trial · 2024
    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

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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