Purslane, Mung Bean and Barley Soup

Why people make this soup

Shingles develops when the dormant chickenpox virus reactivates — usually when immunity is low — and travels along nerve fibers to the skin, producing the characteristic painful, blistered rash. In traditional Chinese dietary wisdom, the condition is understood as a build-up of damp heat and toxic fire in the body. Purslane, mung beans, and raw barley are three ingredients long associated with helping the body clear this internal heat and support the resolution of inflammation. Nourilo recommends this soup as a complementary food-therapy measure, taken a couple of hours after any antiviral medication — not in place of it.