Soups
Licorice, Wheat Berry, Poria Cocos, Lily Bulb and Red Date Soup
traditionally used to calm the mind, ease anxiety, and support restful sleep
In short: Licorice, Wheat Berry, Poria Cocos, Lily Bulb and Red Date Soup is a soup that traditionally used to calm the mind, ease anxiety, and support restful sleep. It is most often made for women's wellness, sleep & calm. Total time about 105 min. Key ingredients: lily bulb, red dates.
Why people make this soup
Hong Kong life is busy and high-pressure, and the toll on mental and emotional wellbeing is real. Symptoms like difficulty falling asleep, muscle tension, headaches, irritability, poor memory, anxiety, and unexplained sadness are all too common. This soup is a food-therapy adaptation of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang — one of the oldest classical Chinese herbal formulas, recorded in the Han dynasty text Jingui Yaolue — updated for everyday home use by swapping the decoction format for a nourishing, drinkable soup. In Chinese medicine, this formula is associated with calming the heart, steadying the emotions, and easing what practitioners describe as “restless spirit.” Nourilo particularly recommends it for menopausal women and new mothers who find themselves unexpectedly tearful or emotionally fragile.
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.
- Honey
Compared with usual care, honey was associated with lower combined symptom scores, cough frequency and cough severity. In two pooled placebo-controlled studies, the difference in combined symptoms was not statistically significant.Limitation: Only two studies compared honey with placebo, with high heterogeneity (I2=91%); the review calls for higher-quality placebo-controlled trials.PubMed 32817011 · 3 more honey studies - Licorice root
Compared with placebo plus the same low-calorie diet, licorice extract was associated with greater improvements in body weight, BMI, body fat, lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR at 8 weeks.Limitation: Small sample, short 8-week duration, and an extract dose that is not comparable to licorice eaten as food; the authors call for confirmatory research.PubMed 39080737 · 3 more licorice root studies - 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.
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Licorice root: Contains glycyrrhizin. Large amounts or long-term use have been linked to raised blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, and even smaller amounts have caused problems in people with high blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, or a high-salt diet. Large amounts are unsafe in pregnancy, and it can interact with corticosteroids. Source: NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root
- Honey: Never give honey to babies under 1 year old — it can cause infant botulism, a very serious illness. Source: NHS — Foods to avoid giving babies
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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