Phlegm-Damp Clearing Herbal Soup (Qu Shi Tang)

Why people make this soup

In Chinese medicine thinking, a “phlegm-damp” constitution describes people who tend to feel heavy and sluggish, accumulate excess weight easily, sleep a lot, snore, and experience a sticky sensation in the mouth or digestive tract. Rather than a single dramatic cause, this constitution is understood to reflect the spleen and stomach working below their best — failing to fully transform and move fluids, leading to a gradual build-up of what practitioners call “damp.” Soups like this one, combining classic damp-clearing herbs with adzuki beans and Job’s tears, have been part of southern Chinese household cooking for generations as a practical way to support the digestion and help the body feel lighter.

You can often find ready-made “qu shi” (dampness-clearing) herb packets at Chinese herbal medicine shops, sold cheaply. Nourilo recommends boosting these packets with a handful of adzuki beans and two types of Job’s tears for better results.