Soups
Ching Bo Leung (Clear-Tonic-Cooling) Pork Soup
A gentle, balanced tonic traditionally taken to cool and nourish in summer
In short: Ching Bo Leung (Clear-Tonic-Cooling) Pork Soup is a soup that A gentle, balanced tonic traditionally taken to cool and nourish in summer. It is most often made for everyday balance. Total time about 2 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: chinese yam, lotus seeds, lily bulb, job's tears (coix).
Why people make this soup
Summer is not the season for heavy tonics — you sweat a lot, the heat is strong, and forceful “tonics” can backfire into dry-mouth, irritability, red lips and eyes. But for people who are run-down, or recovering from illness or surgery, Nourilo favours the gentle approach: mild ingredients like yam, lotus seed, fox nut, glehnia and Solomon’s seal that clear heat, lightly nourish, and cool and moisten all at once. That balance is exactly what Ching Bo Leung is for.
Method
- Blanch the pork. Soak and rinse all the other ingredients.
- Put everything in a pot with 2.4 L of water and simmer for about 2 hours until reduced to about 1.2 L. Drink the soup and eat the ingredients.
Nourilo’s Tips
This soup works seasoned either savoury or sweet. Apart from when you have a cold or flu, run-down people can drink it often as a gentle tonic. To make it less cooling for children, swap the Job’s tears for black-eyed peas or rice beans.
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.
- Lotus seeds
Lotus seed meals had a low glycemic index (GI 21–51 across the lotus seed and adzuki bean meals), while several other starchy foods did not differ significantly from rice. Lotus seed's in vitro hydrolysis index was also lower than that of other test foods.Limitation: Only ten healthy participants and acute single-meal tests, so findings may not apply to people with diabetes or to long-term intake.PubMed 30875961 - Job's tears (coix)
Myeloperoxidase activity rose significantly in the placebo group after 8 weeks but showed no significant change in the adlay tea group. Vascular endothelial function improved in the adlay group, especially in those over 40.Limitation: Participants were healthy adults and the outcomes were surrogate markers, so the results say little about clinical disease outcomes. Tea is a polyphenol-rich extract, not whole grain.PubMed 38945894 · 2 more job's tears (coix) 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.
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
Comments
Join the conversation — sign in or create a free account to comment.
Continue with GoogleBy continuing with Google or email you confirm you are 16 or older and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Loading comments…