Soups
Mung Bean Job's Tears Hyacinth Bean Soup (Lv Dou Yi Mi Bian Dou Qu Shi Tang)
Traditionally clears heat, supports the spleen and dispels dampness
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu speaks from experience: he developed shingles himself two days after his second vaccine dose. He recognised it early — paired, “eye-like” clusters of skin lesions — and went straight to the doctor, recovering after five days of medication. He stresses that shingles must be treated in the golden 72 hours, or lingering nerve pain can drag on for months or years. Shingles roughly splits into a “heat” type (bright red lesions, blisters, intense pain, dry stools, dark urine) and a “damp” type (pale-red lesions, mild pain, bloating or loose stools). This soup is for the damp type — traditionally clearing heat, supporting the spleen, dispelling dampness, and helping the body recover.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- People with the damp type of shingles as supportive care alongside medical treatment; also a fine general summer dampness tonic.
- During an outbreak, avoid oily, spicy and “triggering” foods (bamboo shoots, goose, shrimp and crab, scaleless fish, mango, pineapple) and keep the diet light.
- Pregnant women should not use raw job’s tears — use adzuki bean (chi xiao dou) instead.
- Shingles itself must be treated promptly by a doctor; this soup does not replace that.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Mung bean (lv dou): Traditionally clears heat and is associated with relieving toxins.
- Job’s tears (yi mi): Traditionally supports the spleen and dispels dampness; raw job’s tears not for pregnancy.
- Hyacinth bean (bian dou): Traditionally supports the spleen and dispels dampness.
- Poria (fu ling) and atractylodes (bai zhu): Traditionally support the spleen and promote the passage of dampness.
- Candied dates (mi zao): Add a gentle sweetness and balance.
Ingredients (2–3 bowls, 1 daily portion)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mung beans | ~37.5 g (1 liang) | |
| Raw job’s tears | ~37.5 g (1 liang) | Pregnancy: swap for adzuki bean |
| Stir-fried hyacinth bean | ~37.5 g (1 liang) | |
| Poria | ~18.75 g (5 qian) | |
| Atractylodes | ~18.75 g (5 qian) | |
| Candied dates | 2 |
Method
- Soak and rinse the ingredients.
- Simmer in about 6 cups of water for 1 hour, until reduced to 2–3 bowls.
- Divide across the day.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup has little herbal taste and is gentle for young and old. In hot, humid summer weather it also makes a fine everyday dampness tonic. But pregnant women should not use raw job’s tears — use adzuki bean instead.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (fanny): For 5 people, how much of each ingredient and how much water? Bro Niu: Mung bean, job’s tears and stir-fried hyacinth bean ~75 g each, poria ~37.5 g, atractylodes ~18.75 g, 2 candied dates (use 3), 9 cups of water, simmered 1 hour down to 5–6 bowls.
- Q (Lamlam): Could you also share a soup for the “heat” type? Bro Niu: The heat type easily damages body fluids — take American ginseng powder and dendrobium powder stirred into water, or make a mung bean and lily bulb sweet soup, or a tea of reed root (lu gen ~18.75 g), job’s tears and snow pear.
- Q (reader): If I’m not sure I have heavy dampness but drink dampness-clearing soups once or twice a week, is that bad? Bro Niu: Hong Kong’s weather is damp and rainy, so people there generally tend toward heavy dampness (a white, greasy tongue coating or a swollen tongue with teeth marks is a sign). One or two dampness-clearing soups a week is completely fine.
Published July 3, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
