Soups
Fresh Lotus Seed, Lily Bulb, Longan and Goji Berry Soup
Traditionally used to calm the mind, ease restlessness and poor sleep, and support emotional steadiness
Why people make this soup
There is a particular kind of tiredness where your body is exhausted but your mind refuses to stop — thoughts racing at 2am, heart pounding for no clear reason, a vague sense of dread you cannot name. Chinese food therapy calls this pattern a disturbance of the heart-mind (xin shen), and has been addressing it with lotus seeds, lily bulb and longan for centuries. The clever detail in this recipe is that Bro Niu keeps the green embryo inside the fresh lotus seeds. It is slightly bitter, and that bitterness is precisely where the calming effect on racing thoughts and palpitations comes from in the traditional logic. Most commercial lotus seeds have the embryo removed — here, it stays in. Combined with the gentle, slightly sweet lily bulb and the blood-nourishing warmth of longan, this is a soup that tastes light and pleasant while quietly doing serious work on the nervous system.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suitable for people experiencing emotional restlessness, mild anxiety, heart palpitations, poor sleep, or a tendency to be easily startled
- Good for those with mild depression, grief, or excessive worry affecting the stomach and sleep
- Can be made savoury (light salt) or sweetened — both work well
- Those with constipation should reduce or leave out the lotus seeds — they have a mild stool-firming action; lily bulb can still be used, and adding dried figs (wu hua guo) or sweet apricot seeds (tian xing ren) will help moisten the bowel
- Not specifically restricted for any other group
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Fresh lotus seeds with embryo (lian zi with lian xin): The white seed nourishes the heart and spleen, calms the spirit, and consolidates essence; the green embryo (lian xin) adds a bitter heart-clearing action and is specifically used to address palpitations, restless heat sensations, and high blood pressure when used on its own as a tea
- Fresh lily bulb (bai he): One of the most prized herbs for calming the spirit in Chinese medicine; traditionally associated with supporting emotional steadiness, relieving grief and anxiety, and lightly nourishing lung yin
- Longan flesh (yuan rou): Warm, sweet, deeply nourishing to heart blood and spleen qi; particularly good for the type of insomnia rooted in blood deficiency — fatigue during the day but inability to sleep at night
- Goji berries (gou qi zi): Nourish liver and kidney yin; support the eyes; gently tonifying without being warming
Ingredients (2–3 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh lotus seeds (with green embryo) | 2 liang (~75 g) | Keep embryo intact; dried lotus seeds (1 liang) can substitute |
| Fresh lily bulb (xian bai he) | 2 liang (~75 g) | Separate and rinse each layer; dried (1 liang) can substitute |
| Longan flesh (yuan rou) | 5 qian (~19 g) | Rinse |
| Goji berries (gou qi zi) | 3 qian (~11 g) | Rinse |
Method
- Rinse the fresh lotus seeds. If using fresh lotus seeds with the embryo, leave the green centre intact.
- Separate the lily bulb into individual petals and rinse gently.
- Rinse the longan flesh and goji berries.
- Place the lotus seeds and longan flesh in a pot with 5 bowls (about 1.25 litres) of water. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the lily bulb and goji berries. Simmer for a further 15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust — serve lightly salted as a savoury soup, or add a small amount of rock sugar for a sweet version.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup has a wonderfully delicate, clean flavour. It can be enjoyed savoury or sweet depending on your preference — both are traditional. Regular consumption is associated with supporting brain function, stabilising the mood, and a gentle anti-ageing effect on the skin. Those with dry, hard stools should reduce or omit the lotus seeds and add a few dried figs or sweet apricot kernels to keep the bowels moving. Dried lily bulb (1 liang) and dried lotus seeds (1 liang) can be used when the fresh versions are not available — dried lily should be soaked first.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (mina): Can I use dried lily bulb and dried lotus seeds instead? I have been having constipation and a hemorrhoid flare — is this soup suitable for me? Bro Niu: Lotus seeds are not ideal for constipation, but lily bulb is fine. Add some figs for their bowel-moistening effect. Dried lily bulb — use 1 liang. Adding sweet apricot seeds will further help the bowels.
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Q (如): Recently I fall asleep at 11pm, then wake up around 1–2am and cannot go back to sleep until 3 or 4am. My sleep feels very light. Is there anything that can help? Bro Niu: Try this recipe: wheat grain (xiao mai mi) 1 liang, mix-fried licorice root (zhi gan cao) 3 qian, poria with pine (fu shen) 4 qian, longan 3 qian, red dates 6 pieces, lily bulb 1 liang — simmer in 5 bowls of water down to 2 bowls. Take for 3 to 5 consecutive days and see if things improve.
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Q (SASA): Can I drink commercially prepared five-vegetable soup every day? Is it too cooling? Bro Niu: Five-vegetable soup can help balance the body’s acid-alkaline levels, but it is somewhat cooling in nature — I would not recommend it every day. Three times a week is reasonable. If you make it yourself at home, add two or three slices of ginger to the pot to reduce the cooling effect.
Published July 19, 2016 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.
