Carolyn Egan
- Oct 4, 2023
- 3 min read

Five Element Soup Broth

Updated: Oct 29, 2023

Carrots, daikon radish, brdock root, shiitake mushrooms and daikon radish leaf on a wooden board.

🥣 Five Element Soup

🥣 While this soup isn’t only associated with autumn and can be used anytime of the year, since autumn tends to mark the start of soup season, we thought it would be a good idea to add this herbal preparation into the series.

🥣 This is a soup broth that I’ve used over the last five years or so and has been restorative for me and have used it in many food therapy recommendations for consultations.

🥣 Overview: Five Element Soup is a vegetable based broth that was created by Dr. Tateishi Kazu from Japan that is based on the five element theory in Chinese Medicine.

🥣 Various and ongoing studies have been done studying the five element soup and the nutritional benefits it can provide. Originally, its intended use was to support those who have cancer and more studies have been showing it can be supportive for a wide array of health conditions.

🥣 Some ways the Five Element Soup can be supportive:

▪️Supports injured joint and bone structures

▪️Supports skin health

▪️Helps improve overall eye health

▪️Helps support liver health

▪️Helps support cardiovascular health

▪️Reduces elevated white blood cell count

▪️Improves T-cell function

▪️Regulates blood sugar levels

▪️Supports those going through cancer treatments

▪️Improves digestive function

▪️Supports overall immune system support

🥣 Five Element Soup Ingredients:

🟢 Wood - Daikon Radish Leaf - Green - Liver

🔴 Fire - Carrot - Red - Heart

⚪️ Metal - Daikon Radish - White - Lung

🟡Earth - Burdock Root - Yellow - Spleen

⚫️Water - Shiitake Mushroom - Black - Kidney

Nutritional Background:

Note: You will notice that many of these herbs enter the spleen, stomach, lung and liver meridians and do not necessarily correspond to each of the elements of their chosen element. The theory that could be supported here suggests too that when things enter the spleen and stomach meridians, they can be easily digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. Since a big portion of our immune system is in our gut, we can start to understand that it's through easily digesting these ingredients that helps in the promotion of keeping our digestive systems healthy so we can absorb nutrients better and therefore, promote vitality within the body.

🟢 Daikon Radish Leaf

Helps reduce dampness and resolve swelling in the body.
Promotes the circulation of qi in the body and aides in digestion.
Reduces many forms of stagnation in the body.
Clears heat.

🔴 Carrot

Neutral in temperature and sweet in flavor.
Enters the lung, spleen and liver.
Helps promote the circulation of qi, clears heat and dampness and eliminates toxins.

⚪️ Daikon Radish

Cooling in temperature and is sweet and pungent in flavor.
Enters the lung and stomach meridians.
Helps support a health digestive system by reducing food stagnation, promoting bowel movements and improving appetite.
Helps to clear dampness, phlegm and eliminate toxins.

🟡Burdock Root

Cold in temperature and bitter and acrid in flavor.
Enters the lung and stomach meridians.
Clears heat, relieves toxicity, vents rashes and lubricates the intestines.
Promotes digestion.

⚫️Shiitake Mushroom

Neutral in temperature and sweet in flavor.
Enters the spleen, stomach and lung meridians.
Tonifies qi, nourishes blood and dries dampness.

Recipe

Ingredients:

Daikon Radish Leaf - 12 oz
Carrots - 10 oz
Daikon Radish - 16 oz
Burdock Root - 8 oz
Shiitake Mushroom - 3-5 pieces

Cooking Instructions:

Wash each of the ingredients thoroughly and do not peel the skin of the carrots, daikon radish and burdock root. Chop vegetables into small pieces.
Fill a non-toxic pot (enamel or stainless steel) with 14 cups of water.
Add the vegetables and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce to a simmer and let is cook for two hours. Cover pot with lid.
After cooking, strain broth from the vegetables and store the broth into containers to store in the fridge.
For this recipe, we do not add any salt or any seasonings as we're trying to extract the essence of the vegetables for the broth only.
You can use the broth as a water substitute.

Potential substitutions: Many people have asked about potential substitutions as sometimes daikon radish leaf, burdock root and daikon radish can be harder to find especially if you do not live in proximity to an asian grocery store. Although the formula is focused on these five ingredients in particular, some potential ideas include using turmeric root for burdock root since it is also yellow, replacing daikon radish and daikon radish leaves for other forms of radishes. Even though it is not exactly the same, something similar can also be supportive as each of those foods and herbs are also supportive for improving overall health.

References:

Five Element Soup Broth

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