Soups
Dragon Tongue Leaf, Loquat Leaf, Rock Peel & Pear Soup
Traditionally soothes stubborn cough after a cold or respiratory illness
In short: Dragon Tongue Leaf, Loquat Leaf, Rock Peel & Pear Soup is a soup that Traditionally soothes stubborn cough after a cold or respiratory illness. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, sleep & calm, energy & vitality. Total time about 135 min. Key ingredients: pear, lean pork.
Why people make this soup
Anyone who has had a cold in Hong Kong or southern China will recognise the frustration of the lingering cough that stays weeks after everything else has cleared up. This soup was developed precisely for that situation. Dragon tongue leaf (long li ye) — a plant that is almost impossible to find outside of Cantonese herbal medicine shops but well known to Hong Kong families — is considered one of the most effective single herbs for clearing lung heat and easing phlegm cough. Combined with loquat leaf (pi pa ye, whose leaf extract is the basis of many commercial cough syrups globally), mixed almonds for lung moistening, and the tart, aromatic shi huang pi (rock peel), this is a soup with a serious pedigree for respiratory recovery.
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.
- Dendrobium
Salivary flow rate and oral mucosal scores improved more in the Dendrobium group than in the control group using vitamin B12 rinse alone (P < .05). Serum IL-10 rose from baseline, and oral bacterial composition differed.Limitation: Small single-hospital sample; the Dendrobium group also used the B12 rinse, and the abstract does not say whether the control group received a placebo drink.PubMed 39811879 · 2 more dendrobium 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
- Apricot kernels: Raw apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which turns into cyanide after eating. EFSA estimates that half of one small raw kernel can exceed the safe level for a toddler. Use no more than the recipe states, never eat them raw, and do not serve them to young children. Source: European Food Safety Authority
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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