(Confinement) Deer Antler Healing Soup
Soup Name:
(Confinement) Deer Antler Healing Soup
Traditional Chinese Name:
鹿茸高麗參雞湯 (Lù róng gāo lì cān Jī tāng)
This soup is very warming in nature and sweet to taste.
For videos, visit us on YouTube.
A pretty traditional (although the ingredients aren’t easy to find) Chinese confinement soup. High quality Korean ginseng is not a cooling ingredient and is extremely beneficial in aiding the body in healing. You can really taste the fire or “hotness” in this soup as it literally does warm your body. While this soup does not contain your more mainstream ingredients, it is a traditional recipe that is passed down from generation to generation. There are a few variations of this soup, but a majority of the time, the key ingredients are always there.
For more information on what confinement is and the Chinese ingredients associated with confinement, please see our Confinement Soups page.
This is what dried deer antler’s look like. Small, ovalish, and brown thinly sliced wood-like herbs that are hard to texture and feel. This ingredient is designed for warming the Yang and targets vital essence and blood, which is why it’s so commonly used for confinement, healing, and post surgeries.
To be honest, I don’t commonly use this Chinese medicine in soups, but really only for confinement purposes.
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 30 mins
Serves: 2 bowls
1 fresh whole chicken, prepared
1 pound of fresh pork shank
5-6 slices of deer antler, washed
5-6 slices of Korean ginseng, washed
5 large dried red dates
1 L of boiling hot water
- Blanch the pork and chicken in a pot of boiling water
- In a separate pot of boiling water, add all the ingredients together and boil on high heat for 30 minutes
- Here you can either turn your soup onto medium and let it continue to simmer for another 2 hours or transfer soup into a ceramic pot and double boil for 2 hours (the objective to intensive the flavor of the soup with the Chinese herbs)
- Serve hot
- This soup is warming and healing
- Great for confinement, post surgery, and healing
- It is designed to remove “wind” from the body and particularly helpful for nourishing essence and blood
- Both deer antlers and Korean Ginseng are super warming ingredients
- This tonic (literally that’s what I call it rather than a soup) targets the kidneys and liver (vital parts in TCM)
For videos, visit us on YouTube.
A selection of confinement Chinese Soups
What is confinement and confinement stories
Baby 5 & 6 Confinement story
Some confinement foods for your tummy!
The DO's and DON'T's of confinement
CHECK OUT OTHER SIMILAR HEALING HERBAL SOUPS
Learn more about how these types of teas and soups can help improve your overall blood circulation and how you actually know that it's working?
It's not a perfect science (still working to perfect it), but I'd say the methodology and thinking is sound 🙂
Would love to hear your thoughts!
can breast feeding drink this soup?
Dear Jerry, yes except go mildly on the ginseng. It is meant for confinement so my sisters all drank this once or twice during their confinement. G’luck. Lisa
I have A Czechoslovakian shepard dog and he is an older dog. and his hips are sore and does not move around the fastest. can i give him this and will it help alot!?!?! please awnser…thanks so much
Dear Mitchel, I’m not sure how I can help. For starters, I don’t advocate using this ingredient because of how the antlers are harvested and secondly, it’s actually a quite expensive and not commonly available ingredient. As well, maybe seeing a vet would be a better option for your dog? Sorry I can’t be of any further help and wish you all the best with your dog! Lisa
Hi there, Love your site and recipes. I was wondering if this soup or any soup can be made without the red dates or wolfberries? Thanks!
Dear S, most recipes can go without red dates or wolfberries. You can consider substitutes like dried figs instead. Hope this helps!
Hello Again,
I still have deer antlers in our cupboard can I still have this sop to release the trappped wind in my body after giving birth 4 years after?
Thanks
Dear Claire, oddly enough, I also have deer antlers in my fridge still and it seems well kept! You can definitely still use this ingredient and drink the soup even after many years after confinement. Don’t forget to use ginger – one of the best wind expelling and heat retention ingredients in the Chinese repertoire! Enjoy! Lisa
Hello !
wanted to ask can I make this soup without the ginseng and pork shank?