Tonic Drinks & Waters
Mung Bean, Poria and Pearl Barley Herbal Drink
Traditionally used to support the liver, reduce internal heat and clear damp-heat
In short: Mung Bean, Poria and Pearl Barley Herbal Drink is a tonic drinks & water that Traditionally used to support the liver, reduce internal heat and clear damp-heat. It is most often made for cleansing & regularity, cooling & summer heat, liver wellness. Total time about 70 min. Key ingredients: mung beans, licorice root.
Why people make this drink
In traditional Chinese medicine, the liver’s ‘window’ for its natural restoring processes is believed to occur between 11 pm and 2 am. Habitual late nights — staying up past midnight — are thought to disrupt this process, gradually burdening the liver over time. The signs that often appear: bad breath, persistent acne, irregular periods, nasal sensitivity, dark under-eye circles, low energy and dull complexion. This drink is designed as a gentle, everyday remedy for those patterns. Mung bean is one of the most respected ‘liver-soothing’ ingredients in Cantonese food culture, traditionally valued for its cooling, heat-clearing qualities. Paired with poria (which resolves dampness and calms the mind), yi mi barley (which reduces water retention and has traditional associations with soothing) and a small amount of raw licorice root (a classic ‘heat-clearing’ herb), this becomes a four-ingredient brew that punches well above its simplicity.
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.
- Mung beans
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)
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 - Licorice root
Compared with placebo plus the same low-calorie diet, licorice extract was associated with greater improvements in body weight, BMI, body fat, lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR at 8 weeks.Limitation: Small sample, short 8-week duration, and an extract dose that is not comparable to licorice eaten as food; the authors call for confirmatory research.PubMed 39080737 · 3 more licorice root 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.
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Licorice root: Contains glycyrrhizin. Large amounts or long-term use have been linked to raised blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, and even smaller amounts have caused problems in people with high blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, or a high-salt diet. Large amounts are unsafe in pregnancy, and it can interact with corticosteroids. Source: NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root
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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