Soups

Walnut and Polygonatum Intelligence-Nourishing Soup

traditionally used to nourish the heart and spleen and support mental clarity and calm

In short: Walnut and Polygonatum Intelligence-Nourishing Soup is a soup that traditionally used to nourish the heart and spleen and support mental clarity and calm. It is most often made for digestive wellness, children's wellness, heart & circulation. Total time about 1 hr 10 min. Key ingredients: walnuts, longan flesh, goji berries.

Prep
10 min
Cook
1 hr
Total
1 hr 10 min
Makes
600 ml
Walnut and Polygonatum Intelligence-Nourishing Soup

Why people make this broth

Managing hyperactivity and attention difficulties is a long journey, and Nourilo has always emphasized that food therapy works best as a supportive companion alongside professional care — not a replacement. The goal here is not to “fix” a condition but to provide the body with nourishment that, in traditional Chinese thinking, is associated with calming scattered energy, supporting blood flow to the brain, and helping the heart and spleen work in better harmony.

Walnuts have long been regarded in both Chinese and Western traditions as a brain-supporting food — their resemblance to the human brain is not lost on traditional herbalists. Combined with Solomon’s seal (which is gently tonifying and moistening without causing heat), longan flesh (for blood nourishment and heart calming), and goji berries (for liver and kidney support), this broth is mild, slightly sweet, and easy for children to accept. It can also be prepared as a sweet dessert by adding rock sugar.

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.

  • Walnuts · Randomized controlled trial, 305 participants · 2019
    Office systolic BP changed by -4.61 mm Hg with walnuts versus -0.59 mm Hg in controls (P=0.051); 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP difference was not significant (P=0.111). No diastolic BP changes were observed.Limitation: Only 236 of 305 participants (75%) completed the study, and the main between-group differences did not reach conventional significance.PubMed 30879358 · 2 more walnuts studies
  • Goji berries · Meta-analysis, 161 participants · 2012
    Compared with placebo (n=80), the goji juice group (n=81) reported greater improvements in several self-rated symptoms, including stress, mental acuity, sleep quality and overall well-being, under a random effects model.Limitation: Outcomes were self-reported symptom questionnaires, and several symptoms showed significant heterogeneity across the four pooled trials of a single branded juice.PubMed 22897500 · 3 more goji berries 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

  • Goji berries: A few cases of raised INR (a bleeding-risk marker) have been reported in people taking warfarin after drinking concentrated goji tea or wine. If you take a blood thinner, check with your doctor. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering — Lycium

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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