Soups
Pseudostellaria, Amomum, Tangerine Peel and Red Date Soup
Traditionally supports the spleen and stomach and eases qi stagnation
In short: Pseudostellaria, Amomum, Tangerine Peel and Red Date Soup is a soup that Traditionally supports the spleen and stomach and eases qi stagnation. It is most often made for digestive wellness, children's wellness, liver wellness. Total time about 1 hr 10 min. Key ingredients: tangerine peel, red dates.
Why people make this soup
Nourilo here. Hong Kong life is busy and tense, so plenty of folks deal with a touchy stomach — especially the kind that feels like stagnant qi: a dull ache, frequent burping, a sour feeling that eases a bit after the burp. People like this often eat less, feel tired and weak, and get a queasy, reflux-y feeling. In the traditional view, a weak spleen needs gentle qi support while stagnant qi needs to be kept moving, and this pseudostellaria, amomum, tangerine peel and red date soup is traditionally used for exactly that.
A note on the star ingredient: pseudostellaria (tai zi shen) is not a true ginseng — it is sometimes called “children’s ginseng” because it is so gentle that even children can use it. It is milder than ginseng or codonopsis, but its mildness is the point, and it is traditionally considered suitable even for people with high blood pressure.
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.
- Ginger
Overall, acute and delayed nausea and vomiting did not differ significantly between ginger and control groups. A subgroup taking 1 g/day or less for over four days had less acute vomiting (OR 0.30).Limitation: Clinical heterogeneity between trials required subgroup analyses, and the authors state that sufficiently large, high-quality RCTs are still needed.PubMed 36501010 · 3 more ginger studies - Tangerine peel
The tangerine peel drink group showed significant reductions in body weight and triglycerides after the intervention compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Safety markers showed no adverse effects. Gut microbiota and serum metabolite profiles also differed.Limitation: Small pilot trial with only 55 of 72 participants completing. The fermented product is not the same as plain tangerine peel, and the control group is not described.PubMed 40225325 - Red dates
Jujube was associated with significantly lower BMI and triglycerides, and lower fasting blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. LDL and total cholesterol fell only in some subgroups. HDL, AST and ALT did not change significantly.Limitation: The authors state the overall quality of the evidence is limited, and results varied significantly by dose, treatment duration and disease type.PubMed 40399274 · 3 more red dates 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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