Jewish Penicillin
There’s nothing like a hot bowl of chicken soup when you’re not feeling well. Whether it is chicken and rice, chicken noodle, or matzah ball soup, there is just a good feeling that comes with that warm bowl of soup on a cold day. Campbell’s Soups have banked on that good feeling for over a hundred years, and some things never change.
But what is it about soup that makes us feel so good? Is it the warm memories of mom waiting in the kitchen with that soup she’s been cooking all day while you and your friends were out sledding? Maybe it is the time, back in college, when everyone contributed to the pot and you made the best soup you’ve ever had? Or maybe, just maybe, it’s even more basic than that. Maybe our bodies just know how good broth is for us.
In the summer of 1793 an epidemic hit our young nation’s capital, Philadelphia. It is believed that a certain mosquito that decided to hitch a ride to the new world, landed in Philadelphia and found herself a nice little watering hole in which she could lay her eggs. It also seems that this mosquito picked a little certain bug up along the way, called Yellow Fever. And it was this little bug that had people fleeing the city of brotherly love in droves, or at least those who could.
Those who could not often died alone and unknown, because all that knew them were also gone. No one is really sure how many people died. At first it was believed that the “Negro” was immune, and as a result African-Americans stepped forward to care for the sick, and continued on even after it was discovered that there was no immunity. Few doctors had ever heard of Yellow Fever; fewer still had ever seen it.
Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was one of the few who had seen Yellow Fever before, but it had been years since and he was a young man at the time. He searched the records for an appropriate remedy or treatment and decided that it was favorable to encourage the victim to vomit up the “stale blood” in their stomach, so Dr. Rush would actually give poison to induce this reaction. The treatment was harsh, but known to work.
Another doctor was a younger man, Dr. Jean Deveze, who was a recent immigrant from St. Domingo (Haiti), and who had treated Yellow Fever recently. Dr. Deveze did not believe in the violent purgings; he believed in gentle healing, including keeping the patient clean and giving them plenty of chicken broth. This Frenchman sounded awfully Jewish, no?
Beef, chicken and fish broth might not seem like much, but they can do wonders for our health. Now I’m not talking about the instant bullion you can get in the spice jars or even the instant soup mix available just about anywhere. What I am talking about is the homemade beef, chicken or fish broth, cooked for hours and hours, including the bones.
Within the bones of these animals is natural gelatin that is very good for us. Not only does it aid in digestion, especially the digestion of proteins, but it also treats a number of illnesses, including Tuberculosis. People suffering from diabetes, muscle disease, jaundice and cancer have all seen an improvement in their over-all health just from drinking these all-natural broths. Beef and chicken bones, when cooked all day, release gelatin and calcium, both which help to build strong bones, but these are in their natural form and are much easier for our bodies to absorb.
Gelatin is useful in treating malnutrition, dysentery, infectious diseases, poor digestion, Crohn’s disease, colitis, ulcers, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, fatigue, jaundice, allergies, and anemia as well as infant diarrhea. Collagen, also released from bones when they are long-cooked, is necessary for good growth and tissue repair. The amino acids found in bone broth helps to detoxify our bodies as well.
Fish does not have to be boiled for quite as long; only a couple of hours will do, and the health benefits are well worth the time. Fish broth was often given to women in labor as it will ease the pains of childbirth, and is also a good source of iodine. In fact, many oriental cultures drink broth with their meal the way Wally and the Beaver used to drink their milk. This is actually the optimum way to take your broth, because it will then help your body digest the meal, especially the cooked protein (meat).
In fact, many believe that fish broth will help increase virility and fertility and will drink a diet of fish broth before trying to conceive children. The fish heads contain the fish’s thyroid glands and when they are cooked the hormones from their thyroid are released into the broth. Since studies indicate that as many as 40% of Americans have thyroid problems, fish stock should be a major part of our diets. This is because fish heads contain iodine, which increases the function of the thyroid.
For those struggling with the common cold, nothing is better than broth, whether it be chicken, beef, or fish. Fish broth is especially good for boosting our brain’s ability to concentrate and will fight depression as well as aid in weight loss. The gelatin found in these broths are hydrophilic; they attract liquid, including digestive juices, aiding in rapid and effective digestion. This is why many have found that a cup of broth with meals simply makes them feel better.
As stated before, these broths are made by simmering bones for a long period of time to release the goodness from within the bones. By the time the broth is ready, the smaller bones can easily be broken or even squished between two fingers. All of the cooked meat must first be removed, however, or it will also become mush, but the meat can be returned to the broth later when making the actual soup.
Take the carcass of a chicken (or some beef bones) and place it into a crock-pot with a little bit of apple cider vinegar and cover with water (just enough to cover the bones.) The vinegar will help to draw the nutrients from the bones and will dissipate by the end of the cooking time. Set the temperature on the low setting and allow it to simmer (not boil) for 24 to 36, or even 48 hours. This is what is known as always having soup on the stove.
After removing the bones and straining the broth (to remove any small bones that might have been missed) the meat can be returned to the broth along with some vegetables for soup, or the broth can be used to make sauces and gravies. The broth can also be used in place of water when cooking rice. This will give added nutrients to the rice as well as a nice flavor, without the MSG that bullion would add.
Traditional diets the world over all include some sort of bone broth. The native Americans are touted for their total consumption of the buffalo (American bison) yet what do we think they did with the bones? Do you think they just gave them to the dogs? Some were, I’m sure, but I’m also sure that they cooked them down and drank the nutrient-rich liquid with their meals. Buffalo broth was surely a part of any healing tonic they had, as were fermented vegetables.
The Japanese often drink fish broth with rice for breakfast and the French traditionally served soup to their children before sending them off to school. What do you think the average American school student, who rarely takes the time to eat any breakfast, would do if served soup at the start of the school day? I guarantee that their grades would go up as their concentration improved. Many average Americans have never tasted home made soups, instead relying on a soup base of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is another source of MSG.
In every book I’ve read regarding plagues and other diseases, broths played a large part in the recovery process. Those suffering from dysentery, for example, are known to have a better chance of survival if they are given bone broth soup (or simply the broth itself) to eat. What is the food most likely to be given to starving Africans? Soup. If hospitals would have big pots of soup bones going twenty-four hours a day and served their patients big steaming cups of vegetable rich, bone broth soup we would see healing increased dramatically. Talk about cost effective! Unfortunately this will not happen anytime soon. Why? Remember, they are trying to kill us.
There are actually two different kinds of soup, the basic meat and vegetable soup and the blended soup; bone broth is the basis for both. The traditional meat and vegetable soup is easy to make and only needs one pot. The blended, or creamed soups take a little more work but it is worth it to keep the valuable enzymes found in the cream alive. In this way the bowl of soup is even more nutritious.
Raw cream is the best to use for all recipes, because the pasteurization and homogenization processes destroy the life-giving bacteria that we need. It is very important not to add the cream to the soup while it is still hot because the heat will kill the enzymes. Instead, the cream is added to the soup base in the bowl after it has cooled enough to put a finger in without burning it. A handheld blender is ideal for this purpose, as the French have known for decades.
Creamed soups also contain valuable fat-soluble vitamins that our bodies need to utilize the minerals in the soup. Whey can also be added to cooled soup, which will add the lactic acid and enzymes we need without totally creaming the soup. Vietnamese add fish sauce, which is made by fermenting small whole fish, to their broth. This soup is ideal for those who are suffering from thyroid problems. Fish sauce can be made at home or purchased through oriental food suppliers.
To sum it up, allow me to quote from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary G. Enig:
We urge you to make homemade soups a standard of your repertoire. With a judicious choice of ingredients, they provide nourishing, easily assimilated fare for young and old. Soup is the perfect way to get vegetables into those members of your family who normally turn up their noses at green things, or who may have trouble digesting raw salads. Lentil and bean soups, prepared with meat stocks and served with whole grain bread, make a complete meal that’s quick to prepare and easy on the budget.