Soups
Five-Flavor Two-Seed Soup (Schisandra Sleep Tea)
Traditionally used to calm the mind and support restful sleep
Why people make this tea
Those who fall asleep easily are truly fortunate — insomnia is a hard thing to live with, and if it sets in, Bro Niu suggests addressing it early before it wears down your health. Food therapy can lend a hand here. This Five-Flavor Two-Seed Soup is traditionally regarded as nourishing the liver, settling the heart and calming the spirit, and is associated with supporting sleep and easing the weariness of frayed nerves and night sweats.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits those troubled by poor sleep, restlessness or night sweats; considered mild and gentle, suitable for longer-term use, including for people of yin-and-kidney-deficient constitution
- If you have stomach discomfort, add a few slices of Chinese yam (huai shan) to the pot
- Persistent insomnia should be looked into properly — please see a doctor
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Schisandra berry (wu wei zi): the “five-flavor” berry; traditionally used to settle the mind, and in modern times explored for supporting resilience, eyesight and hearing
- Roasted sour jujube seed (chao zao ren): a classic calming seed, traditionally associated with quieting the heart and supporting sleep
- Biota seed (bai zi ren): traditionally regarded as nourishing the heart and calming the spirit (best dry-roasted in a pan for fuller effect)
- Rock sugar (bing tang): balances the sourness of the schisandra and makes the tea pleasant to drink
Ingredients (2 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted sour jujube seed | ~18.75 g | rinsed |
| Biota seed | ~18.75 g | best dry-roasted first |
| Schisandra berries | ~15 g | rinsed |
| Rock sugar | to taste | added at end |
| Water | 5 bowls | reduces to ~2 |
Method
- Rinse the ingredients.
- Simmer in 5 bowls of water for about 1 hour.
- Stir in rock sugar until dissolved.
- Divide into two servings to drink across the day.
Bro Niu’s tips
Schisandra has been studied in recent years for supporting frayed nerves, and some of its uses are said to resemble those of ginseng. Because the berry is quite sour, if you’d rather not use much rock sugar you can add a little luo han guo (monk fruit) instead. Biota seed works better if it is first dry-roasted in a pan.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (yoyo): Can someone with liver-and-kidney yin deficiency drink this, since I have long-term insomnia? Bro Niu: Yes — for long-term insomnia this is a suitable, very gentle recipe, and someone of yin-deficient constitution can take it for a stretch of time.
- Q (elaine): Five bowls of water boiled about an hour gives roughly two bowls — do I drink it all at once? Bro Niu: The two bowls are meant to be split into two servings within the day.
- Q (周小姐 / Ms. Zhou): There’s a lot of fake sour-jujube seed around and I’m afraid of buying wrong. Can I substitute something else? Bro Niu: You can use ~18.75 g of fu shen (poria spirit) in place of the sour-jujube seed.
Published January 17, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
