Stay healthy and warm during the “cold” season with this common yet ancient  recipe.

Chicken soup is probably the most commonly made type of bone broth and is known for its curative properties. If you have ever been stuck in bed, miserable with a cold or the flu, you know the comfort and power of the golden broth. While it’s a folk remedy for the ages, researchers are beginning to discover just why and how chicken soup heals.

Chicken soup’s curative properties have been documented for several centuries.   In the 10th century, the Persian physician Avicenna referenced the healing powers of chicken soup.   Again, in the 12th century Egyptian Jewish physician Maimonides recommended chicken soup to aid in the recovery from respiratory illnesses drawing his sources from classical Greek text.

Chicken soup has with stood the test of time, medicinal changes and even the introduction of big pharmaceuticals as a healing food across the globe.

In different countries the generational influences and traditions leave their mark on the recipes.

North Americans serve the soup with vegetables and soft noodles (not the best option).   The French serve it flavored with garlic (powerful antioxidant) and fresh herbs.   Germans enjoy chicken soup served with dumplings or spätzle.  Chinese chicken-based soups are often served with ginger (a key ingredient aiding digestion and can help with nausea), scallions and anise.

Recently, chicken soup’s long term success in improving symptoms of respiratory illness has been studied in scientific circles.   Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have studied chicken soup’s ability to reduce the symptoms of the common cold and other respiratory tract infections.   Their research indicates that homemade, old-fashioned chicken soup, due to its highly anti-inflammatory properties has a powerful impact in managing the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections like colds.  Unsurprisingly, the study’s results show that commercially produced chicken soups, like those found in a can, varied wildly in their effects, and did not offer the same results.

It is full of easy-to-assimilate minerals, amino acids and beneficial ingredients like glucosamine chondroitin.  Its gelatin helps to heal the gut, which is why it plays such an integral role in the GAPS diet, healing leaky gut, and IBS.  All this on top of providing powerful nutrients particularly effective in combating colds and flus.

• The gelatin found in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid that attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, thereby supporting proper digestion
• Bone broth reduces joint pain and inflammation courtesy of chondroitin sulfates, glucosamine, and other compounds extracted from the boiled down cartilage
• Amino acids such as glycine, proline, and arginine in bone broth all have anti-inflammatory effects
• Bone broth contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that play an important role in healthy bone formation
• Bone broth can be made from any type of bones you like – chicken, beef, pork, or even fish – but seek bones from organically raised, pastured, or grass-fed animals

The following recipe follows the traditional medicinal preparations discussed in the studies above and hold the most anti-inflammatory and immune building properties.