Interested in herbal remedies but not sure where to start? Here is a beginner’s guide to 4 common herbal soup remedies that you can try to start your wellness journey. For convenience, these remedies can often be bought as prepackaged combinations for your to simply boil at home.
1. Ching Bo Leung (清补凉) – "Cooling Tonic Soup"
This is a classic Cantonese soup that is widely used as a herbal soup and also commonly served as a refreshing dessert at South East Asian restaurants. Consisting of nutritious ingredients such as Chinese yam, longan, red dates, barley, snow fungus, dried figs, lotus seeds, it provides immense therapeutic benefit along with a palatable taste – a perfect soup to get your taste buds acclimatised to herbal remedies. Main health benefits come from its cooling properties, and therefore it is beneficial for alleviating dry throat, fatigue, restlessness and mild cough. Commonly enjoyed in warmer weather, it helps detoxify and rejuvenate your immune system by nourishing the spleen, kidney and lungs while dispelling heat.
2. Si Shen Tang (四神汤) – "Four Divine Soup"
This soup is a combination of four crucial herbs, gorgon fruit, lotus seeds, Chinese yam, and poria cocos mushrooms, and epitomises the saying, “food is medicine”. Gorgon fruit reduces excess moisture in the body, lotus seeds promotes restful sleep, Chinese yam aids digestion, appetite and fatigue and poria helps with claiming the spirit and water metabolism. Together, the four ingredients work synergistically promote better digestion, promote healthy bowel movement, beat fatigue and alleviate poor appetite. This soup is a common delicacy at Asian night markets, a testament to its popularity as a soup for overall wellbeing.
3. Five Fingers Peach & Cocos Tea (五指毛桃椰子茶)
Being mildly sweet and aromatic, this is a common daily drink in Southern China aimed to boost overall vitality. Its ingredients include: Five fingers peach which nourishes the lungs, dried cocos, red dates, dried figs. It promotes removal of excess moisture, alleviating sluggishness and fatigue, and also supports stomach and spleen health. Therefore, it is often given to people recovering from illness, and also for those with low energy, mild cough, digestion problems and spleen weakness.
4. Goji Berry and Cassia Seeds Tea (枸杞决明子茶)
This is a cooling and sweet tea that promotes eye and liver health. While goji berries are rich in zeaxanthin, an antioxidant that may protect against age-related eye diseases and damage from UV light, cassia seeds help with digestion, supports liver function and lower blood pressure. As such, they are beneficial for dry eyes, eye fatigue, especially from prolonged screen use. This tea is suitable to support people who have eye strain, mild hypertension and can provide an energy boost for people with sedentary lifestyles.