Mantis Egg-Case (Sang Piao Xiao) Bladder-Steadying Soup

Why people make this soup

Sang piao xiao is one of those curious old herbs — it is the dried egg case of a mantis, often gathered from mulberry trees, and Chinese medicine has long valued it for steadying the bladder. It is traditionally used for postpartum frequent urination and leakage, childhood bed-wetting from low kidney energy, and similar concerns. Nourilo pairs it here with three more kidney-firming foods — Cherokee rose hip, raspberry and fox nut — plus southern jujube to nourish, making a soup aimed at frequent and night-time urination linked to a depleted kidney.

Method

1. Soak and rinse all the ingredients clean.
2. Add to a pot with 5 cups of water and simmer for 45 minutes until reduced to about 600 ml.
3. Take in portions over the day.

Nourilo’s Tips

The jin ying zi pictured is the fruit of the Cherokee rose, with a good firming, anti-leakage effect; fu pen zi is the wild raspberry, and those with frequent night urination might also keep dried raspberry preserves as a snack. But remember this soup may make the uterus contract, so it is not for pregnant women.