Nourilo

Soups

Fresh Dendrobium, Chinese Yam, Goji Berry, Conch and Quail Soup

traditionally used to nourish yin, moisten the eyes, and replenish the five organs at midlife

In short: Fresh Dendrobium, Chinese Yam, Goji Berry, Conch and Quail Soup is a soup that traditionally used to nourish yin, moisten the eyes, and replenish the five organs at midlife. It is most often made for eye wellness, everyday balance. Total time about 2 hr 20 min. Key ingredients: dendrobium, chinese yam, goji berries, ginger.

By · Published under our editorial policy · Research library

Prep
20 min
Cook
2 hr
Total
2 hr 20 min
Makes
0.9–1.2 L
Eye WellnessEveryday Balance
Fresh Dendrobium, Chinese Yam, Goji Berry, Conch and Quail Soup

Why people make this soup

Somewhere in our forties and fifties, many of us start noticing subtle changes: skin that once bounced back now looks a little drier, joints that were never a concern now click and feel less fluid, and eyes that used to be sharp after a night’s rest now feel dry and tired by mid-afternoon. Traditional Chinese food therapy attributes much of this to a natural, gradual depletion of yin fluids — the body’s deep, cooling, lubricating reservoir — and the response is to nourish it gently with moistening foods.

Fresh Dendrobium stem (xian shi hu) is one of the most celebrated yin-nourishing herbs in Chinese medicine. When you cook it, the stem becomes wonderfully slippery and sticky — that viscous quality, rich in mucilaginous polysaccharides, is exactly what is considered so beneficial for the skin, joints, and eyes. Some Chinese herbal shops now stock the fresh version, which Nourilo greatly prefers to the dried; the fresh stem has a cleaner, more delicate fragrance. Combined with Chinese yam, goji berries, dried conch, and quail, this soup is deeply nourishing without being heavy.

Method

  1. Clean the quail and blanch together with the soaked conch slices in boiling water for 2–3 minutes; drain and rinse.
  2. Rinse the fresh Dendrobium and cut into segments.
  3. Peel and rinse the fresh Chinese yam. Rinse the goji berries.
  4. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours.
  6. Serve warm; eat both the broth and the soup ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

Fresh Dendrobium is increasingly available at Chinese herbal shops and some organic markets. Nourilo prefers the fresh over the dried for this soup — the fresh stems become gloriously sticky and fragrant when cooked, and that viscous quality is exactly what makes the herb so nourishing. If using dried Dendrobium, use 11 g (about 11 g). If fresh Chinese yam is unavailable, dried Chinese yam works equally well — use 38 g. Quail can be substituted with squab (pigeon) or partridge without any loss in quality. Frozen conch can substitute for the dried variety.

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.

  • Dendrobium · Randomized controlled trial · 2025
    Salivary flow rate and oral mucosal scores improved more in the Dendrobium group than in the control group using vitamin B12 rinse alone (P < .05). Serum IL-10 rose from baseline, and oral bacterial composition differed.Limitation: Small single-hospital sample; the Dendrobium group also used the B12 rinse, and the abstract does not say whether the control group received a placebo drink.PubMed 39811879 · 2 more dendrobium 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
  • 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.

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

Spot an error? Report a correction

Frequently asked questions

Who is this soup traditionally made for?

This soup is traditionally eaten at midlife — roughly the forties and fifties — when there is a gradual, natural depletion of yin fluids that may show up as drier skin, less fluid joints, and eyes that feel dry and tired. It is traditionally used to nourish yin fluids, support vision, and replenish the five organs as part of a balanced diet.

What role does fresh Dendrobium play in this recipe?

Fresh Dendrobium stem (xian shi hu) is one of the most celebrated yin-nourishing herbs in Chinese medicine. When cooked, the stem becomes sticky and slippery due to its mucilaginous polysaccharides, a quality traditionally associated with nourishing the skin, joints, and eyes. Nourilo prefers the fresh stem over the dried, as it has a cleaner, more delicate fragrance and becomes gloriously sticky and fragrant when cooked.

Can I use dried Dendrobium or dried Chinese yam if the fresh versions are unavailable?

Yes. If fresh Dendrobium is unavailable, use 11 g of the dried form instead. If fresh Chinese yam cannot be found, dried Chinese yam works equally well — use 38 g. Frozen conch can also substitute for the dried conch slices.

How long does it take to make, and how much does it yield?

Preparation takes about 20 minutes, and the soup then simmers gently for 2 hours, giving a total time of around 2 hours and 20 minutes. The finished soup yields approximately 0.9 to 1.2 litres.

How should this soup be served?

The soup is served warm, and the recipe instructs you to eat both the broth and the solid soup ingredients together.

You might also like

Related recipes

More soups →

Comments

Loading comments…