The Chinese Soup Lady. COM

The Chinese Soup Lady. COM Traditional soups for the modern soup drinker

I'll be on site at Toronto School of Traditional Chinese Medicine starting Sept 10, 2026. Come see me for acupuncture, T...
09/03/2026

I'll be on site at Toronto School of Traditional Chinese Medicine starting Sept 10, 2026. Come see me for acupuncture, TCM treatment, cupping, tuina, soup talk, confinement prep - whatever Traditional Chinese Medicine!

We are located at Lawrence + Dufferin (in the mall, 4th floor).

My clinic hours:
Thursdays from 1:30 - 5:30 pm
Saturdays from 1:30 - 5:30 pm

Cost is $35 CAD / session (typically 1 hour or 1.5 hours for new intake). Herbs additional.

!

Check out this Sea Coconut Lung-Moistening Soup for Dry and Hot CoughsFull video here:
08/30/2026

Check out this Sea Coconut Lung-Moistening Soup for Dry and Hot Coughs

Full video here:

First Signs of a Cold? This Ginger-Lemon-Honey Tea Is Your First MoveYou know that “uh oh, I think I’m catching somethin...
08/27/2026

First Signs of a Cold? This Ginger-Lemon-Honey Tea Is Your First Move

You know that “uh oh, I think I’m catching something” feeling? The moment to act is now while it’s still at the surface (what we call in TCM as the exterior). This warming brew is made for the very first hours of a wind-cold, when the body just needs a gentle nudge to push it back out.

👀 Watch for these early signs:

Sudden fits of sneezing
Clear, watery, runny nose
Chills + wanting to bundle up
A scratchy or ticklish throat

Why these three work together:
🫚 Fresh ginger (the principal) — warm + pungent. Releases the exterior, dispels cold, opens the pores, and encourages a light sweat to move the chill out. Also warms the middle and settles a cold-type queasy stomach.
🍋 Fresh lemon (the minister) — cool to neutral. Generates fluids, soothes a scratchy throat, and gently tempers ginger’s heat so the tea disperses without drying you out.
🍯 Honey (the envoy) — sweet + neutral. Moistens, coats an irritated throat, and harmonizes the whole cup so it goes down smooth.

Together: a warming, balanced brew to clear wind-cold at the very first sign. 💛

🍵 To make: Fresh ginger slices + a couple of lemon wedges + a spoon of honey in hot water. Serves 1 cup — refill 2–3 times as needed.

⚠️ Skip it if you’re running hot:

Heat signs (red, sore, burning throat, red face or eyes)
Thick yellow or green phlegm
Notable fever or a dry, yellow-coated tongue
For those, warming ginger isn’t the match — cooling herbs like mint or chrysanthemum suit better.

Learn more on how to custom your own teas and soups: https://thechinesesouplady.com/starters-guide/

This is a generalization of how teas can support Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts of balance — not a substitute for medical advice or a diagnosis. Honey isn’t for babies under 1. When in doubt, check with your doctor or TCM practitioner.

08/24/2026

❤️❤️❤️

The full first-week postpartum guide — free — is linked in my bio.

In Chinese tradition, the weeks after birth aren’t for bouncing back, they’re for being kept warm and gently rebuilt. Right after delivery the body is wide open: pores, channels, and the uterus are all exposed, blood is depleted, and qi is low. That’s why cold and wind can slip in so easily, and why “keep warm” is the whole strategy.

So in that first stretch: cover your neck and head, keep warm socks on, dry your hair right away, and lean on warming foods like old ginger, red dates, and rice congee. And gently avoid the things that let cold pathogens in like fans, a/c, cold drinks, bare feet, sitting by an open window.

None of this has to be perfect. Do what your body and your days allow. 🤍

Save this for your first week — and if you’d like the whole thing, the free first-week guide is in my bio.

Download the guide here: https://thechinesesouplady.com/confinement-soups-guide/

The full first-week postpartum guide — free — is linked in my bio.In Chinese tradition, the weeks after birth aren’t for...
08/23/2026

The full first-week postpartum guide — free — is linked in my bio.

In Chinese tradition, the weeks after birth aren’t for bouncing back, they’re for being kept warm and gently rebuilt. Right after delivery the body is wide open: pores, channels, and the uterus are all exposed, blood is depleted, and qi is low. That’s why cold and wind can slip in so easily, and why “keep warm” is the whole strategy.

So in that first stretch: cover your neck and head, keep warm socks on, dry your hair right away, and lean on warming foods like old ginger, red dates, and rice congee. And gently avoid the things that let cold pathogens in like fans, a/c, cold drinks, bare feet, sitting by an open window.

None of this has to be perfect. Do what your body and your days allow. 🤍

Save this for your first week — and if you’d like the whole thing, the free first-week guide is in my bio.

Download the guide here: https://thechinesesouplady.com/confinement-soups-guide/

Why is ginger in almost every confinement meal? 🫚After birth, TCM sees the body as depleted and especially vulnerable to...
08/18/2026

Why is ginger in almost every confinement meal? 🫚

After birth, TCM sees the body as depleted and especially vulnerable to cold and wind. Ginger is the warming backbone of the postpartum kitchen because it does three things at once:

🔸 warms the Spleen & Stomach to rebuild weak digestion
🔸 dispels wind and cold from the body
🔸 moves blood — easing cramps and helping clear lochia

But not all ginger is equal. The same root runs from hot to neutral depending on its form 👇

🔥 Hot: Dried ginger & ground powder (the most warming)
🌤 Warm: Old ginger, ginger juice, fresh grated (your everyday workhorses)
🍃 Neutral: Ginger with the skin on, or the skin alone (the skin is actually cooling, so it balances the heat)

How to use it through the month:
🛁 Washes: Soak hands & feet 15 mins in warm dried-ginger water, or add to a hair wash
🍵 Soups & teas: Extra fresh slices, ginger juice, or dried ginger
🥢 Dishes: Grated ginger or juice in marinades, or a ginger-scallion oil to spoon over everything

This little breakdown is exactly why I made my Postpartum Guide — the why behind the food, week-by-week what to expect, soup & tea design principles, plus a shopping list and tracker so you’re not piecing it together alone. There’s a whole lot more where this came from. 🔗 in bio 💛

You can also access the guide here: https://thechinesesouplady.com/a-tcm-guide-to-pregnancy-and-postpartum/

Save this for your confinement prep, and send it to a mama-to-be.

A general guide to how food & TCM concepts support balance — not medical advice. Always check with your own doctor or TCM practitioner.

08/12/2026

What is congee and how to make it?

Congee is the ultimate comfort food. Warm, silky, nourishing, and almost impossible to mess up. I’ll walk you through the why behind congee — including the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) view of why it’s so healing for your digestion — plus which rice to use, the regional styles, how to build deep flavour into your base, and how to top your bowl like a pro.

Whether you’re feeling under the weather, recovering, or just craving something that feels like a hug in a bowl, this is the one to save. 💛

🥢 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

The TCM “pot & fire” philosophy behind why congee heals
Which rice actually matters (and why technique matters more)
Regional congee styles: Cantonese, Chiu Chow, Taiwanese
3 flavour bases: pork shank, dried scallop (conpoy), or shiitake (vegetarian)
Equipment options + the perfect water-to-rice ratio
How to build the perfect bowl: aromatics, crunch, star
TCM topping pairings — how to eat for how you feel

🍲 SIMPLE BASE CONGEE

2 slices fresh ginger
6 baby dried scallops (conpoy)
250g pork shank
Rice 米 + water 水 (ratios in the video)

📖 Loved this? Congee is just the first doorway into Chinese home cooking. Grab my Starter’s Guide to Chinese Soups for the same warming, no-fuss approach in broth form — link below. 👇

🌸To access the starter’s guides: https://thechinesesouplady.com/starters-guide/

This is for educational purposes and to share traditional practices — always listen to your body and consult your healthcare provider if needed.

🌹 Classic TCM Herb: Rose Buds: The gentle qi-regulatorIf you're the "tired but wired" type, feeling stressed, a little i...
08/08/2026

🌹 Classic TCM Herb: Rose Buds: The gentle qi-regulator

If you're the "tired but wired" type, feeling stressed, a little irritable, chest feels tight, better after a good sigh or a walk, this one's for you! In TCM, that stuck-but-not-empty feeling is Liver Qi stagnation, and rose buds (玫瑰花 Mei Gui Hua) are one of the gentlest, most daily-friendly ways to get things moving again.

Sweet, slightly bitter, warm. Enters the Spleen and Liver. It moves Liver Qi and relieves stagnation, moving what's stuck without being harsh or drying, which is exactly why it's safe enough for everyday sipping. 🍵

Here are a few options:

🌼 Liver constraint with heat → + chrysanthemum, goji, rock sugar
For red, tired eyes, tension headaches, and screen fatigue. Chrysanthemum cools the heat and brightens the eyes; goji nourishes. Steep 7 mins in boiling water.

🍊 Liver–Spleen disharmony → + chen pi, fu ling, longans
For stress + bloating, poor appetite, loose stools, tired after eating. This is the combo for that heavy, sluggish, digestive kind of tired. Steep 7 mins in boiling water.

· Qi + blood stagnation → + dang gui, red dates
For PMS irritability, painful periods, dark clots, chest distension. Boil in 1.5 cups water for 10 mins.

⚠️ Caution: Rose moves blood as well as qi, so use sparingly if pregnant or during a heavy flow. And because it's warm and aromatic, go lighter if you run hot or dry. Use 8–10 dried buds per cup.

🌸To access the starter's guides: https://thechinesesouplady.com/starters-guide/

This is a generalization of how soups and teas can support TCM concepts for balanced health — not a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your own doctor or TCM practitioner first.

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Y007-1 Promenade Circle
Thornhill, ON
L4J 4P8

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