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Winter Melon, Hyacinth Bean, Job's Tears and Frog Soup

Traditionally associated with clearing summer heat, supporting digestion and reducing dampness

In short: Winter Melon, Hyacinth Bean, Job's Tears and Frog Soup is a soup that Traditionally associated with clearing summer heat, supporting digestion and reducing dampness. It is most often made for digestive wellness, cooling & summer heat, everyday balance. Total time about 140 min. Key ingredients: winter melon, job's tears (coix), ginger.

By · Published under our editorial policy · Research library

Prep
20 min
Cook
120 min
Total
140 min
Makes
1.2–1.5 L
Digestive WellnessCooling & Summer HeatEveryday Balance
Winter Melon, Hyacinth Bean, Job's Tears and Frog Soup

Why people make this soup

On a sweltering summer day when the body feels heavy and sluggish, Nourilo’s first instinct is to reach for a pot of something light but genuinely nourishing. Frog meat — known in Cantonese as “tian ji” (field chicken) — surprises many people. It is lean, delicate, high in protein, and farmed frogs are perfectly safe to eat once properly prepared. In Chinese food therapy, it is associated with replenishing vital energy and nourishing the skin. Paired with winter melon for its cooling quality, hyacinth bean and Job’s tears for clearing heat-dampness, and ginger to aid digestion, this soup manages to be both light and deeply restorative. It is particularly well suited for people who feel weak and puffy in summer heat.

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.

  • Job's tears (coix) · Randomized controlled trial · 2024
    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
  • Ginger · Meta-analysis, 23 studies · 2022
    Overall, acute and delayed nausea and vomiting did not differ significantly between ginger and control groups. A subgroup taking 1 g/day or less for over four days had less acute vomiting (OR 0.30).Limitation: Clinical heterogeneity between trials required subgroup analyses, and the authors state that sufficiently large, high-quality RCTs are still needed.PubMed 36501010 · 3 more ginger 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

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