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Old Cucumber, Red Bean, Hyacinth Bean and Job's Tears Soup

Traditionally used to clear lingering heat and damp and settle the stomach after a cold

In short: Old Cucumber, Red Bean, Hyacinth Bean and Job's Tears Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to clear lingering heat and damp and settle the stomach after a cold. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, digestive wellness, cooling & summer heat. Total time about 2 hr 15 min. Key ingredients: old cucumber, hyacinth beans, job's tears (coix), honey dates.

By · Published under our editorial policy · Research library

Prep
15 min
Cook
2 hr
Total
2 hr 15 min
Makes
1 pot
Respiratory & Lung WellnessDigestive WellnessCooling & Summer Heat
Old Cucumber, Red Bean, Hyacinth Bean and Job's Tears Soup

Why people make this soup

After a cold, the digestion often hasn’t bounced back — you feel tired and off your food. Nourilo’s advice is not to rush into rich tonics, which only burden a recovering spleen and stomach while leftover heat lingers. Instead, reach for something that settles the stomach and clears heat and damp. Old cucumber is traditionally used to clear heat and drain water; combined with red beans, hyacinth beans and Job’s tears, this soup is associated with easing the dry throat, restlessness and poor sleep that can trail a cold.

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.

  • Adzuki beans · Randomized crossover trial, 10 participants · 2019
    Adzuki bean meals had a low glycemic index (21–51 range reported with lotus seed), whereas other starchy foods did not differ significantly from rice. Adzuki bean hydrolysis index was lower than other test foods.Limitation: Only ten healthy participants and acute single-meal responses, so effects in people with diabetes or with regular intake are unknown.PubMed 30875961 · 1 more adzuki beans study
  • Job's tears (coix) · Randomized controlled trial · 2024
    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

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.

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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