Soups
Fresh Chinese Yam, Goji Berry, Conch and Old Hen Soup
traditionally replenishes qi and blood, nourishes the skin, and supports eye health
In short: Fresh Chinese Yam, Goji Berry, Conch and Old Hen Soup is a soup that traditionally replenishes qi and blood, nourishes the skin, and supports eye health. It is most often made for skin & natural beauty, energy & vitality, blood nourishment. Total time about 135 min. Key ingredients: chinese yam, goji berries, carrot, ginger.
Why people make this soup
This is the kind of soup Cantonese families have been making for generations — a long, slow simmer that draws out rich, sweet flavour from the ingredients. Old hen (a mature laying hen) is prized for its deep flavour and traditionally considered more tonifying than a young bird. Paired with frozen conch heads — which give the soup a naturally sweet, oceanic depth — and brightened by fresh Chinese yam, goji berries, and carrot, the result is a beautiful golden broth that Nourilo associates with nourishing the skin, replenishing qi and blood, and supporting the eyes. Plan for two hours of simmering; the soup is worth it.
Method
- Chop the old hen into pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the hen pieces and conch together briefly to remove impurities; drain and rinse.
- Peel and cube the fresh Chinese yam. Peel and cube the carrot.
- Place all the ingredients into a soup pot with 3 L of water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours, until the liquid reduces to about 1.5–1.8 L.
- Season with salt and serve.
Nourilo’s Tips
Frozen conch makes a wonderfully sweet, clear soup. If you can source dried conch (xiang luo gan), it has an even stronger tonifying effect. For the hen, any good-quality chicken or frozen spring chicken can substitute if hormone-free old hen is unavailable — the flavour will be lighter but the nourishing effect remains. Soaking dried conch for 1 hour and blanching before use removes any impurities.
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.
- Goji berries
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 - Ginger
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 - 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
- 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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