Wheat, Black Bean, Mulberry and Lotus-Seed Calming Soup

Why people make this soup

Sleeplessness is one of the most common city complaints — some can’t fall asleep, some wake easily, some stay in a light doze all night and startle at the faintest sound, some wake and can’t drift off again, often with a fluttering heart. This “wheat, black bean and mulberry calming soup” is traditionally enjoyed to support all kinds of restless sleep. For those who overuse their minds, poor sleep is often part of a wider nervous-exhaustion picture — vivid dreams, daytime fatigue, irritability, foggy thinking, forgetfulness — and they too may enjoy this soup.

Method

1. Soak and rinse the ingredients separately.
2. Cook everything in 2.4 L of water for about 1.5 hours down to 1.2 L. Serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

Schisandra is widely used these days to support those with nervous exhaustion. The black dates shown here are small, but small or large the effect is similar — just use a few more if they’re small.