Can chicken soup really ease a cold?
Chicken soup has long been touted as the perfect dish for cold and flu sufferers – since the second century BC, in fact – but does it actually beneficial for health? Or is it just a much-needed comfort for those of us with the sniffles?
According to Sydney chef and nutritionist, Teresa Cutter, “there’s nothing better” than a chicken soup made from homemade stock, garlic, ginger and turmeric. “Garlic, ginger and turmeric are all anti-inflammatory and detoxifying,” she explains to SBS. “They clear out mucus and they’re intensely hydrating.”
Funnily enough, research by US food delivery service GrubHub in 2014 found that as the number of cold- and flu-related doctor’s appointments increased, so did the number of soup orders. “Mentions of having a sore throat, being sick or having the flu are 283 per cent more likely to appear in delivery instructions of orders containing soups than orders without,” they found.
As it turns out, there’s some scientific backing to this delicious miracle cure. A 1978 study found that drinking chicken soup was more beneficial for clearing nasal congestion than hot (or cold) water. Two years later, Dr Irwin Ziment found that chicken soup (particularly spiced soup) helped thin out mucous in the lungs. His findings were again backed up in 2000 by Stephen Rennard, who found that by reducing the mucous in the lungs, chicken broth inhibited the movement of white blood cells, enabling them to concentrate on repairing the upper respiratory tract.
So, what’s the best chicken soup recipe to soothe a cold or flu? Here’s the exact recipe Stephen Rennard used in his landmark study, but if you want something quick and easy, give our recipe a go.
Tell us in the comments below, do you believe chicken soup has curative properties? We’d love to see your recipe!