Soups
Fresh Smilax, Maranta and Three-Bean Soup
Traditionally used to support the spleen, clear damp and soothe itchy skin
In short: Fresh Smilax, Maranta and Three-Bean Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to support the spleen, clear damp and soothe itchy skin. It is most often made for digestive wellness, cooling & summer heat, skin & natural beauty. Total time about 2 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: hyacinth beans, mung beans, tangerine peel, honey dates.
Why people make this soup
In foggy, damp weather — especially alongside rich, greasy, spicy or fried foods and a lot of stress — skin troubles like eczema flare up more easily. Fresh smilax (tu fu ling) and the folk herb di lao shu are both traditionally valued for skin prone to eczema; both are available at Chinese or Asian grocers, where they can often be peeled and sliced for you on request. Cooked with rice beans, hyacinth beans and mung beans, this soup is traditionally enjoyed to support the spleen, clear damp and soothe itchy skin.
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.
- Mung beans
Breath hydrogen and methane were higher after wheat than after rice or mung bean noodles. Bloating scores after mung bean did not differ significantly from wheat, and mung bean produced gas levels similar to rice.Limitation: Small sample of 20 patients, with single meals tested rather than habitual intake, so longer-term effects of mung bean on symptoms are unknown.PubMed 31484315 · 1 more mung beans study - 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
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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