Tonic Drinks & Waters
Prepared Mulberry Mistletoe, Lotus Seed & Red Date Sweet Water
Traditionally supports the liver and kidney and is associated with regulating menstruation
Why people make this sweet soup
Bro Niu remembers when teahouses everywhere sold “mulberry-mistletoe lotus-seed egg sweet soup” — a cheap, cheerful tonic for ordinary folk. These days the younger crowd turns up its nose at that faint medicinal taste, but mulberry mistletoe really does earn its keep: it is traditionally associated with dispelling wind-damp, calming the mind, supporting blood pressure, strengthening sinew and bone, and nourishing the liver and kidney. Cooked with lotus seeds and red dates into a sweet soup, it is a gentle, affordable everyday tonic.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Women looking for a gentle soup associated with menstrual support and easing period-related lower-back and waist aches
- Men with kidney-deficiency type backache may also enjoy it
- Tonics during pregnancy or for any gynaecological condition should only be used with a doctor’s guidance; please see a doctor for concerning symptoms
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Prepared mulberry mistletoe (zhi sang ji sheng): traditionally supports the liver and kidney, dispels wind-damp and strengthens sinew and bone; the prepared (steamed) form is darker and less bitter.
- Fresh lotus seeds (xian lian zi): associated with calming the mind and supporting the spleen.
- Red dates (hong zao): traditionally used to nourish blood and the spleen.
- Brown sugar (hong tang): warming sweetness, traditionally favoured for women’s wellness.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared mulberry mistletoe (zhi sang ji sheng) | 1 liang (~38 g) | Rinsed |
| Fresh lotus seeds (xian lian zi) | 4 liang (~150 g) | Cores removed |
| Red dates (hong zao) | 5–6 | Pitted |
| Brown sugar (hong tang) | to taste | |
| Water | 7 bowls | Reduce to 4 bowls |
Method
- Rinse the mulberry mistletoe; remove the cores from the fresh lotus seeds; pit the red dates.
- Put everything in a pot with 7 bowls of water.
- Simmer 1 hour, then stir in brown sugar until dissolved and reduced to 4 bowls. Serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
This sweet soup is fragrant and smooth, fine for young and old. Besides being good for women, it also suits men with kidney-deficiency type lower-back and waist aches.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Ada): I’m in my twenties and my facial skin seems to be peeling — is it a lack of moisture? Any food therapy you’d suggest? Bro Niu: Very dry weather can affect the skin, though it’s usually not severe in the young; if peeling persists, see a doctor. You could make a papaya, snow-fungus and fig sweet soup (amounts to taste, three times a week), or cook a soup of Solomon’s seal 5 qian, ophiopogon 3 qian, snow fungus 3 qian, sweet-and-bitter apricot kernels 1 liang and 4 figs with fish or lean pork.
Published December 13, 2025 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
