Soups
Raw Rehmannia Honeysuckle Mung Bean Soup
traditionally supports skin cooling and detoxification for heat-related breakouts
Why people make this soup
Hong Kong summers are hot and humid, and when you layer that with a diet heavy in fried or overly rich food, the body’s internal heat can manifest on the skin — as acne clusters, boils, or itchy eczema flares. Traditional Chinese food therapy associates these skin reactions with “blood heat and dampness,” and this simple three-ingredient soup has been a classic home remedy for generations. The soup is not a cure, but many families use it as a short course of 2–3 servings to help the body rebalance when breakouts coincide with hot weather and heat-type symptoms like constipation or dark urine.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits people with heat-type skin conditions: acne, boils, itchy rashes, and constipation alongside hot weather
- Also traditionally used for children’s heat rashes and prickly heat
- People with a cold or deficient constitution should avoid this soup — it is quite cooling
- Pregnant women should not consume this preparation
- Not suitable during menstruation
- This soup should not be taken every day; 3–4 servings when symptoms arise, then 1–2 per week until improvement, then stop
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Raw rehmannia (sheng di huang): Traditionally considered sweet and cold. Associated with nourishing yin, cooling the blood, and benefiting the intestines.
- Honeysuckle flower (jin yin hua): Traditionally used to clear summer heat and internal heat toxins.
- Mung beans (lü dou): Sweet and cooling. Traditionally associated with clearing heat, supporting detoxification, and relieving summer heat. The green skin of the mung bean is considered the most therapeutically active part.
- Raw cane sugar (pian tang): Traditionally associated with moving blood and dispersing stagnation.
Ingredients (2–3 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raw rehmannia root (sheng di huang) | 19 g (5 qian) | Rinse and soak briefly |
| Honeysuckle flower (jin yin hua) | 11 g (3 qian) | Add in final step |
| Mung beans | 75 g (2 liang) | Rinse and soak briefly |
| Raw cane sugar (pian tang) | to taste | Add at end |
| Water | 7 bowls (~1.4 L) | — |
Method
- Rinse and briefly soak the raw rehmannia and mung beans.
- Place the rehmannia and mung beans in a pot with 7 bowls of water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low-medium simmer.
- Cook for 1 hour until the mung beans are soft.
- Add the honeysuckle flowers and raw cane sugar.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves, then serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
Do not worry if the mung beans are very soft or mushy after an hour — that is exactly what you want. The skin of the mung bean holds the most nourishing properties, so eating the cooked beans along with the soup is encouraged. This soup is on the cooler side, so it is meant as a short-term intervention, not a daily drink. If your constitution tends toward coldness in general, consider a milder version: swap the honeysuckle for red dates and use a pigeon instead of water as the base — that version is warming enough to be safe for people with a colder constitution.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (mandy): My 19-year-old daughter has a lot of large acne on her forehead and chin. A TCM doctor said she has dampness, but the herbal medicine seemed to make it worse. What soup can I try? Bro Niu: Try raw rehmannia 5 qian, mung beans 1 liang, tangerine peel 1 piece, and red dates 5 pieces — simmer with one pigeon, using 6 bowls of water for 1 hour to make 2–3 bowls. Your daughter should drink 2 bowls a day, and you can make 2–3 batches per week. For external use, mash raw fresh ginkgo nut meat, wrap in gauze, and dab on the affected spots — leave for 15 minutes then rinse; this can help spots shrink.
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Q (carlos / dave): Can this soup be drunk every day? How many times a week is appropriate? Bro Niu: This soup is quite cooling — it should not be taken daily. When symptoms appear, take 3–4 servings. If things improve, drop to 2 per week, then stop once the skin has fully settled.
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Q (Polly): Can leftover soup be kept and warmed the next day? Bro Niu: Yes — strain out the solids, store the liquid, and reheat the next day to drink. Also note that this soup is quite cooling, so it should not be taken in the week before or during menstruation.
Published June 28, 2017 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.
