Lotus Seed, Sour Jujube and Longan Soup

Why people make this soup

There is a particular kind of tiredness that comes not from lack of sleep, but from too much dreaming — the kind where you wake up feeling like your brain never had a real rest. In Chinese food-therapy thinking, this pattern is associated with what practitioners call “scanty heart-blood and weak heart-qi”: the body is sleeping, but the mind keeps running. Bro Niu sees this as increasingly common in modern life, and he offers this soup as a gentle, nourishing way to support the transition into deeper, quieter sleep. The ingredients have a mildly sweet, slightly complex flavour — not at all medicinal-tasting — and the whole family can share it. Drink it about two hours before bedtime.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for most adults experiencing restless sleep, vivid dreaming, light sleep, mild heart palpitations, or mental fatigue
• The whole family can share this soup
• Those with an acute fever, cold, or flu should not drink this — wait until fully recovered
• Pregnant women: Bro Niu advises leaving out the longan flesh and sour jujube seed; use wheat grain (xiao mai mi), lily bulb, poria, and red dates instead. Please consult your midwife or doctor if you have any concerns.
• People with diabetes or metabolic conditions who need to limit sugar: reduce or omit the longan

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Lotus seeds (lian zi / 莲子): Traditionally associated with tonifying the spleen and calming the heart. The seeds are gently astringent and nourishing; the heart (lotus core) adds a mild bitter note that practitioners link to clearing excess heart-fire.
• Euryale seeds (qian shi / 芡实): Also called “fox nuts” in Western herbal markets. Considered deeply stabilizing and strengthening to the spleen and kidneys.
• Dried lily bulb (bai he / 百合): One of the gentlest heart-nourishing herbs in the Chinese pantry; traditionally used to quiet a restless mind and moisten dryness in the lungs.
• Longan flesh (gui yuan rou / 桂圆肉): A sweet, warming fruit that nourishes blood and calms the spirit; the flavour it gives this soup is comforting and slightly caramel-like.
• Sour jujube seed (suan zao ren / 酸枣仁): One of the most widely used herbs in Chinese medicine for supporting sleep. Traditionally said to nourish the liver and calm the heart. It gives the soup a mild, slightly tart undertone.

Ingredients (3 bowls / family serving)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Lotus seeds	38 g (1 liang)	May include heart (core)
Euryale seeds (fox nuts)	38 g (1 liang)
Dried lily bulb	38 g (1 liang)
Longan flesh	10 pieces	Omit if diabetic or pregnant
Sour jujube seed	19 g (5 qian)	From Chinese herb store
Water	6 bowls	Reduce to 3 bowls

Method

1. Rinse all ingredients gently under running water.
2. Place everything in a pot with 6 bowls of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
3. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until the liquid reduces to about 3 bowls.
4. The soup naturally has a pleasant sweet-tart flavour; no additional seasoning is needed.
5. Drink 2 hours before bedtime. Eat the soft lotus seeds, euryale and lily bulb along with the soup.

Bro Niu’s tips

This soup has a gently sweet and slightly sour taste — genuinely pleasant with no need for sweeteners. For those who sleep but dream excessively, Bro Niu also suggests a simpler nightly remedy: simmer fresh or dried lily bulb with 10 longan pieces in 1.5 bowls of water down to 1 bowl, and drink before bed. Repeat for four to five nights. Do not use fresh lily bulb if you can help it — dried lily bulb has a stronger therapeutic effect. For people with constipation tendencies, note that both lotus seeds and euryale are mildly astringent (binding); if constipation is an issue, consider swapping them for black wood ear fungus, dried figs, lily bulb and longan in a separate soup.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Annie): I fall asleep easily but dream constantly all night — sometimes I almost feel reluctant to wake up. What can I try? Bro Niu: You can try simmering lily bulb (38 g) and longan (10 pieces) in 3 bowls of water down to 1 bowl, and drink it about 2 hours before bed. Eat the lily bulb and longan too. It helps clear heart-heat, nourish blood and calm the mind. Try this for four to five nights and see if you notice a difference. Dried lily bulb works better than fresh.

• Q (Sandy): My 78-year-old father has shallow sleep and often has nightmares so vivid he shouts or even falls out of bed. Can he drink this soup? Bro Niu: I strongly recommend your father sees a doctor — falling out of bed during sleep is beyond what food-therapy can address on its own, and it needs proper assessment. As a gentle complement to medical care, you could try: wheat grain (38 g), poria with heart wood (38 g), lily bulb (38 g), red or southern dates (6 pieces), simmered in 5 bowls down to 2 bowls; serve in two portions per day, for four to five days. This nourishes heart-qi and calms the mind.

• Q (reader with metabolic conditions): My family member has high blood sugar, high blood lipids and high blood pressure. Can they drink this soup? Bro Niu: Yes, but reduce or leave out the longan to keep the sugar content lower. You can use a small amount of goji berries (gou qi zi, about 6 g) as a substitute — that still supports blood-nourishing function without the sweetness.

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Published November 5, 2012 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.