Good to know – Does chicken soup really help against colds?

Does chicken soup really cure a cold?

The study situation for the popular home remedy is weak – but even scientists recommend it.

Published: 09.12.2021, 07:00

Helps you get back on your feet faster: Good old chicken soup.

Photo: Getty

It is one of our oldest home remedies – chicken soup. However, it is still largely unknown why it should relieve colds and coughs.

After all, there are isolated scientific studies that point to a positive effect. Even 20 years ago, an American study came to the conclusion that chicken soup inhibits the activity of a group of immune cells, “neutrophil granulocytes”, and therefore probably against–has an inflammatory effect. Small fly in the head: The study was conducted only in vitro, i.e. not with humans, but in the laboratory.

Rich in protective substances

Despite the scant study situation, there are good reasons in favor of chicken soup: Chicken meat also contains protein building blocks such as cysteine or carnocin, which act as antioxidants and can also prevent inflammation and protect the body’s cells.

In addition, the various vegetables in the soup strengthen the immune system with their secondary plant substances.

Ingredients for 4 people):

1 large onion, 1 teaspoon of oil or clarified butterca. 500 g of vegetables (e.g. celery, leek, carrot, parsley), 1 chicken for soup (approx. 1 kg), 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 bay leavesecould be ein pieces of ginger and a little chili.

preparation:

1. Prepare the vegetables, cut them into small pieces and set them aside. Cut the onion in half with the skin and brown well with the cut side down in clarified butter (or oil).

2. Chicken soup without entrails with cold waterLaw Rinse well and place in a pot with vegetables and sliced onions.

3. Cover with cold water until everything is covered. Now add pepper, salt and bay leaf and let the soup cook on low heat for at least two hours. Remove the resulting foam regularly.

4. Carefully remove the chicken for the soup from the pot, peel it and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, boil the soup again and remove the onion.

5. Add the meat to the soup and add salt and pepper at the end.

Advice: If you want to increase the anti-inflammatory effect of the soup, you can cook a piece of ginger and some chili. Other vegetables (eg peas or beans) or soup noodles are also suitable for additional addition.

Original recipe: stilpalast.ch

But this may simply be due to the beneficial effect of the hot and easily digestible liquid: “Hot soup stimulates blood circulation and loosens mucus – naturallye without any side effects,” says David Fäh, a preventive physician and nutritionist at the University of Applied Sciences in Bern.

Expert: David Fäh (48) is a preventive medicine doctor and nutritionist; researches and teaches at the University of Zurich and is a lecturer in nutrition at the University of Applied Sciences in Bern. The medical specialist is the author of numerous publications and books (including “Relieve Stress” and “Genussvoll gluten-frei”).

Photo: PD

However, Fäh sees the greatest benefit of chicken soup in the recovery phase: “Especially if someone has been sick for a long time and suffers from loss of appetite, the nutrients in the soup can help with regeneration.”

Stefan Aerni, has been working in journalism for almost 40 years, since 2013 as a health editor. It’s no coincidence: after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he now wants to combine the essential with the useful and report on medicine and health – from the perspective of the affected patients.More information

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