Soups
Lotus Seed, Lily Bulb, Sour Jujube Seed & Arborvitae Seed Soup
traditionally associated with calming the mind, easing anxiety and tension, and supporting restful sleep
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu often sees the pressures of modern parenting play out in the health of the whole family. Parents lose sleep worrying about school applications and enrichment classes; children are rushed from activity to activity before they can even articulate what they enjoy. The result: nervous exhaustion, poor sleep, difficulty concentrating, and a creeping sense of anxiety that many people dismiss as “just stress.” This gentle soup is built from five ingredients that Chinese culinary and herbal tradition has paired for centuries specifically to calm the heart, settle the mind, and support a deeper, more restorative sleep. It is mild enough for the whole family, works both as a sweet or savoury dish, and requires very little effort to prepare.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suited to people experiencing stress, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, and emotional tension
- Works for the whole family including children and the elderly
- Can be made savoury (add lean pork or chicken breast) or sweet (add rock sugar)
- No specific contraindications identified for this combination; those with very loose stools may wish to reduce lotus seed quantity slightly
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Lotus seeds (lian zi): Nourish the heart and calm the spirit; support the spleen; traditionally used to reduce restlessness and worry
- Dried lily bulb (bai he): Gently calms the mind; traditionally associated with easing low mood, anxiety, and unsettled emotions; also moistens the lungs
- Sour jujube seeds (suan zao ren / Ziziphus spinosa): One of the most important herbs in Chinese medicine for insomnia and anxiety; nourishes the liver and heart, calms the mind, and supports the body’s natural sleep mechanisms; research has explored its sedative and anxiolytic properties
- Arborvitae seeds (bai zi ren / Platycladus orientalis): Nourishes the heart and calms the spirit; traditionally used alongside sour jujube seeds for palpitations, disturbed sleep, and anxious restlessness
- Goji berries (gou qi zi): Nourishes the liver and kidneys; supports vision and energy; adds natural sweetness
- Red dates (hong zao): Nourishes the blood and spleen; harmonises the formula and adds flavour
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lotus seeds | 38 g (1 liang) | Soak and rinse |
| Dried lily bulb | 38 g (1 liang) | Soak and rinse |
| Sour jujube seeds | ~11 g (3 qian) | Rinse; available at Chinese herbal shops |
| Arborvitae seeds | ~11 g (3 qian) | Rinse; available at Chinese herbal shops |
| Goji berries | ~11 g (3 qian) | Rinse |
| Red dates (jujubes) | 6 pieces | Remove stones |
Method
- Remove the stones from the red dates. Soak lotus seeds and lily bulb for about 20 minutes; rinse all remaining ingredients.
- Place all ingredients in a pot with 7 bowls (about 1.4 litres) of water.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour until reduced to about 4 bowls.
- For a savoury version, add lean pork or chicken breast before cooking and season lightly with salt. For a sweet version, stir in rock sugar to taste near the end of cooking.
- This soup keeps for 2 days, divided; drink twice daily if desired.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is gentle enough to serve to everyone at the table and flexible enough to adapt to different tastes. For a mild depression or very low mood, Bro Niu suggests a similar formula: adding wheat grain (xiao mai mi) and poria with pine (fu shen) to the basic lotus-lily combination. The soup can be divided over 2 days (made as 4 bowls, drink 2 bowls per day for 2 days) as a 3-serving course. Regular gentle exercise, meaningful conversation with loved ones, and limiting news intake are all part of Bro Niu’s broader advice for calming an overworked mind.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Cherry): My teenage child is under a lot of study pressure. What soup is good? Bro Niu: Try wheat grain (xiao mai mi) 38 g, roasted liquorice root (zhi gan cao) 8 g, red sage root (dan shen) 11 g, red dates 5 pieces, and poria with pine (fu shen) 19 g — 5 bowls of water cooked down to 2 bowls. This supports stress relief and calms the mind.
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Q (Celia): What soup suits mild depression? Bro Niu: Try wheat grain 38 g, poria with pine (fu shen) 19 g, lotus seeds and lily bulb 38 g each, and red dates 6 pieces — 7 bowls of water cooked to 4 bowls, divided over 2 days for 3 servings (6 days total). Talking with close friends or family also genuinely helps.
Published August 10, 2019 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.
