Perilla and Winter Melon Soup: A Medicinal Recipe for Summer Dampness

Introduction to Medicinal Diet

Purple Perilla and Wax Gourd Lean Pork Soup is a classic home-style soup originating from Lingnan folk tradition, embodying the principle of medicinal and edible homology (yao shi tong yuan). It features wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), abundant in summer, as the main ingredient, complemented by purple perilla leaf (Perilla frutescens) with its distinctive aroma and properties, and simmered gently with lean pork (sus scrofa domestica). This soup is especially popular in southern coastal regions, particularly during the humid and muggy plum rain season or the damp-heat laden summer days, when it is commonly used to support the body’s natural response to seasonal dampness, promote digestive comfort, and encourage overall vitality. The broth is clear with a faint hint of perilla’s verdant hue; it tastes savory, fresh, and sweet with a lingering, refreshing fragrance unique to perilla. It is both palate-cleansing and soothing, making it a nourishing seasonal delicacy suitable for all ages.

From the developmental trajectory of medicinal cuisine, the Perilla and Wax Gourd Lean Pork Soup embodies the wisdom of “nourishing according to seasonal conditions” and “harmonizing the five flavors.” Wax gourd helps maintain normal fluid balance without disturbing the body’s natural harmony, perilla supports healthy qi flow without causing stagnation, and lean pork provides gentle nourishment without greasiness. The combination of these three ingredients offers a balanced approach to supporting the body’s natural cleansing processes while also promoting comfort for the spleen and stomach. For thousands of years, this soup has been passed down through folk traditions, serving both as a nourishing accompaniment to daily meals and often recommended by practitioners as a dietary support during the summer-dampness season. Its mild and balanced nature endows it with strong wide applicability.

Efficacy of Medicinal Diet

The core benefits of Perilla and Wax Gourd Lean Pork Soup can be summarized in three principles: “clear, promote circulation, and harmonize.” The formula effectively supports comfort during the combination of summer heat and dampness in summer. Through the actions of promoting healthy fluid movement and supporting the body’s natural moisture balance, it helps the body maintain normal water metabolism. For occasional feelings of heaviness, reduced appetite, or temporary changes in urinary and bowel patterns due to seasonal factors, drinking this soup often brings a sense of lightness and mental refreshment, gradually supporting normal appetite. With long-term moderate intake, it can also help maintain a balanced state of fluid metabolism in the body.

Furthermore, this soup has a unique capacity to soothe occasional external discomfort associated with cooling. *Perillae Folium* (Perilla leaf) is warm in nature and acrid in flavor, with properties that support the body’s natural response to wind and cold. It is particularly suited for mild seasonal discomfort that may arise after excessive cooling in hot weather or prolonged stays in air-conditioned rooms—such as occasional nasal stuffiness, clear nasal discharge, or a sensation of tension in the head and body. The cool nature of *Benincasae Fructus* (Winter melon) precisely complements the effect of occasional internal warmth caused by over-nourishing in summer or by consuming rich foods. Meanwhile, lean pork (*Sus scrofa* meat, lean) can help nourish and maintain moisture balance. Thus, the entire formula supports the body’s natural defenses without disturbing fluid harmony, achieving a harmonizing effect that combines clearing and supplementing, offense and defense. This is highly beneficial for supporting overall well-being during the summer season.

The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Perilla frutescens (Perilla) — Supports healthy qi flow and middle jiao harmony, soothes occasional external discomfort associated with cooling.

Perilla leaf (Perilla frutescens) serves as the “key ingredient” in the formula. Its acrid flavor and warm nature support the lungs and spleen. Acridness encourages dispersion and movement, while warmth helps maintain comfort, thus effectively supporting the body’s natural response to occasional wind and cold from the environment, and promoting comfort in cases of mild sensitivity to cold, occasional head tension, and nasal stuffiness. Concurrently, Perilla excels in supporting healthy qi flow and broadens the middle area, thereby relieving occasional chest and epigastric fullness, nausea, and belching due to temporary digestive sluggishness. Its distinctive aromatic quality further supports the body’s natural ability to handle dampness, promoting gastrointestinal comfort during summer seasons. Additionally, Perilla possesses the ability to support digestion of fish and crab. If a small amount of seafood or dried fish is added to the decoction while boiling, Perilla can help counteract their cold nature, rendering the soup more balanced and gentle.

Winter Melon (Benincasa hispida) — Supports healthy fluid balance, promotes urinary comfort, helps maintain normal swelling response, and supports the body’s natural detoxification processes.

As a supporting herb, *Benincasa hispida* (winter melon) is sweet and bland in flavor, slightly cool in property, and supports the lungs, large intestine, small intestine, and bladder channels. Winter melon is moistening in nature and adept at helping the body flush out occasional stagnant heat and dampness. Its gentle effect on promoting normal urinary function is mild yet sustained, supporting the body’s natural elimination of damp-heat influences through urination. It is particularly effective for occasional summer heat discomfort with thirst, temporary urinary difficulty, and mild puffiness. The peel of winter melon has a stronger effect on promoting normal fluid movement; boiling the peel in soup enhances its ability to support the body’s natural moisture balance. The flesh, by contrast, tends to support cooling and fluid production. Used together, they complement each other. Modern nutritional studies also confirm that winter melon contains almost no fat and includes propylenedioic acid (tartronic acid), which helps support normal carbohydrate metabolism, thereby maintaining metabolic balance.

Lean pork – Nourishes and supports moisture balance, tonifies and supports healthy energy.

Pork lean meat serves as a “supporting and harmonizing” ingredient in the formula. Its flavor is sweet and salty, its nature is neutral, and it supports the spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians. It helps maintain healthy qi and blood, supports yin and moisture balance, thereby ensuring that Perilla Leaf (Perilla frutescens) and Winter Melon (Benincasa hispida) do not disturb the body’s natural vitality while supporting the body’s cleansing processes. The moistening quality of lean meat effectively balances the warm dispersing nature of Perilla Leaf and the cool nature of Winter Melon, ensuring that the entire soup, while supporting damp-heat comfort and soothing occasional external discomfort, still retains a gentle nourishing power. From the perspective of the principle that “food and herb share a common origin,” lean meat not only enhances the flavor of the soup but also harmonizes the active properties with the food qualities, making the dietary support more easily accepted by the body and improving compliance for long-term consumption.

Indications

This soup is particularly suitable for consumption in summer or during periods of heavy dampness (such as the plum rain season or late summer). It is especially beneficial for modern urban populations who spend prolonged periods in air-conditioned environments, lack exercise, and consume a diet high in greasy and sweet foods. For those who frequently experience a heavy and fatigued body, occasional dizziness or heaviness in the head, temporary puffiness in the face and limbs, a coating on the tongue that may appear white or yellowish, and occasional loose or sticky stools—all signs of occasional moisture imbalance—Perilla Leaf and Wax Gourd Lean Pork Soup can effectively support the body’s natural ability to manage dampness, restoring a sense of lightness and vitality.

In addition, this soup has a beneficial supporting effect on individuals with occasional mild external discomfort (manifested by sensitivity to cold, nasal stuffiness, clear nasal discharge, absence or scarcity of perspiration), temporary digestive discomfort (manifested by epigastric and abdominal fullness, reduced appetite, occasional nausea), and occasional thirst related to summer heat (manifested by dry mouth and tongue, occasional dark urine, irritability). For those who wish to support healthy body weight or blood lipid levels, the water-draining property and low-calorie characteristic of Donggua (wax gourd / Benincasa hispida) provide a certain supportive effect. However, attention should be paid to not using an excessive amount of lean meat.

Contraindicated populations

Those with spleen-stomach deficiency cold should consume with caution. In this soup, winter melon (Benincasa hispida) is slightly cool in nature. For individuals with insufficient spleen-stomach yang qi and weak digestive function (e.g., those who often experience abdominal discomfort, loose stools or undigested food in stool, chronically cold hands and feet, or discomfort upon consuming cold foods), excessive intake of cool-natured foods may aggravate the burden on the spleen and stomach, leading to digestive upset. If such individuals wish to taste the soup, they may appropriately increase the amount of ginger (Zingiber officinale) slices and extend the cooking time to moderate the cool nature of winter melon.

In addition, individuals with severe externally-contracted wind-cold or unresolved exterior patterns should not rely solely on this soup as a support. If symptoms of a wind-cold common cold are pronounced (e.g., high fever, severe headache, cough with white phlegm), seek medical attention promptly; Perilla and Winter Melon Lean Pork Soup may only serve as an adjunct dietary support. Those with chronic diarrhea or long-standing kidney insufficiency should consult a physician or a qualified practitioner to determine suitability for consumption. For pregnant women, reduce the dosage of Perilla leaf (Folium Perillae) to below 3 grams and add two Chinese red dates (Fructus Jujubae) to the soup to moderate its properties and ensure safety.

Ingredient Formula Ratios

The standard recipe for Perilla Leaf and Winter Melon Lean Pork Soup (serves 2–3 persons) is as follows: fresh Perilla Leaf (Perillae Folium) 15 g (if fresh is unavailable, substitute with dried Perilla Leaf 5 g), Winter Melon (Benincasae Fructus) with skin 500 g, lean pork 200 g, fresh Ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens) 3 slices (approx. 6 g), and salt to taste. Perilla Leaf is the core herb; the dosage should not be excessive to avoid an overly strong herbal taste. It is recommended to keep the skin of the winter melon, as the peel has stronger effects for promoting normal fluid balance. For the lean pork, choose either front leg meat or tenderloin, which are low in fat and produce a clear, light broth. The proportions can be slightly adjusted according to individual constitution and season—for example, in cases of severe summer-heat, increase winter melon to 600 g; for those who feel chilly, increase ginger to 5 slices.

To ensure optimal quality, please select fresh Perilla frutescens (perilla) leaves whenever possible—those with a purple-green or purple-red coloration and a strong aromatic fragrance are optimal. If using dried perilla leaves, soak them in clean water for 10 minutes in advance to remove surface dust. For winter melon (Benincasa hispida, wax gourd), choose an older specimen (with a white frost-like coating on the skin and thick flesh); young winter melon contains excessive moisture and has a weaker effect on supporting moisture balance. After cutting lean pork into pieces, blanch them in cold water to remove blood foam, preventing cloudiness in the soup and reducing any strong odors. This blanching process also partially reduces purine content, making it suitable for individuals with hyperuricemia to consume as appropriate.

Cooking method

Step 1: Preparation. Wash the lean pork and cut into 2–3 cm cubes. Place in a pot with cold water and add 1 slice of ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then remove the meat and rinse it with warm water; set aside. Wash the wax gourd (Benincasa hispida) with the skin on, and cut into large chunks (about 3–4 cm thick, retaining the peel). Gently rinse the Perilla leaves (Perilla frutescens) under running water, chop finely, and set aside.

Step Two: The Core Simmering Process. Place the blanched lean pork, winter melon chunks with the skin left on, and the remaining 2 slices of ginger into a clay pot or soup pot. Add enough clean water (approximately 2000 ml, enough to submerge all ingredients by about 3 cm). First bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 1.5 hours, until the winter melon becomes translucent, the lean pork is tender, and the soup turns a milky white color.

Step 3: Add Perilla leaf and season. Ten minutes before turning off the heat, place the washed chopped Perilla leaf (Folium Perillae) into the pot, cover and continue simmering on low heat to allow the active constituents of the Perilla to infuse fully into the soup. After turning off the heat, uncover the pot and add an appropriate amount of salt to taste, stirring well. Note that salt should not be added too early, as it may affect the freshness of the soup and the extraction of the herbs. Finally, garnish with a pinch of chopped scallion or goji berries (Fructus Lycii) as desired, then serve in bowls.

Tips for Consumption

1. Optimal Timing and Frequency of Consumption: It is recommended to take it warm half an hour to one hour after lunch, when yang qi is abundant and the digestive functions are stronger, allowing for better absorption of the beneficial properties. Consuming 2-3 times per week is sufficient; avoid excessive intake. During the summer-damp season, it may be taken continuously for 3-5 days, after which the decision to continue should be based on the body’s response.

2. Storage and Heating Methods: If a larger quantity is prepared, strain the decoction to remove the herbal residues and refrigerate (store for no more than 2 days). When reheating, it is recommended to use an earthenware or ceramic pot and double-boil, or pour the decoction into a small pot and gently simmer over low heat. Avoid using a microwave for rapid heating, as this may damage the active structure of the beneficial constituents.

3. Individualized Adjustment Suggestions: For children and the elderly, appropriately reduce the dosage of Perilla leaf (Perillae Folium) to 6 g, and cut the Winter melon (Benincasae Fructus) into smaller pieces to soften more easily. To enhance the effect on supporting moisture balance, add 15 g of Adzuki bean (Phaseoli Calcarati Semen) or 20 g of Coix seed (Coicis Semen) and cook together; to enhance the effect on supporting digestive wellness, add 10 g of Poria (Poriae Sclerotium) or 15 g of Chinese yam (Dioscoreae Rhizoma). Regardless of which supplementary ingredient is added, the Perilla leaf must only be added 10 minutes before removing from heat, to preserve its volatile active components.