It’s that time of the year again! Days are getting shorter and the weather cooler, making the conditions ideal for the survival of viruses that give us the typical signs of the common cold – sore throat, runny nose, coughing and sneezing. Cold weather makes the nasal cavity significantly colder than our core body temperature of around 37°C, and cold viruses can have a party in that cooler environment. That seems to be one explanation why colds are more common in the winter time.
I wasn’t saved from the pesky cold this autumn either, and one morning around a week ago I woke up with that rough-tickly-sore sensation in my throat and felt rather sorry for myself. So I dug deep into my natural medicine cabinet and took all the measures I could think of to ward off the virus and alleviate the symptoms, from flushing my nasal passages with saline/xylitol rinse, swallowing chopped raw garIic like tablets and sucking zinc lozenges, through to boiling up a warming and comforting concoction with thyme and elderberries and sipping it all day long, mixed with honey and lemon juice. These measures seemed to help, as after two days, I felt much better. Or did I…? I must have rejoiced too early since the following morning, I felt even worse, and that continued for a couple more days… Until it dawned on me that I had completely forgotten the most efficient and comforting of cold remedies – chicken soup! So off I went to the supermarket to get some organic chicken thighs on the bone to create a big batch of this healing soup. After 5 hours of slow-cooking the thighs with the rest of the ingredients, I enjoyed a big bowl of my spicy warming soup for dinner and another one for breakfast the following morning. And as if by magic, my runny nose, stuffy sinuses and tickly cough were no more! It could be that the virus had run its course and I was already getting better anyway, but I have to say that I do swear by this soup that is traditionally believed to have healing powers for both the soul and the body.
And a study from 2000 seems to agree! It concluded that chicken soup may contain a number of substances with medicinal anti-inflammatory activity. Colds are associated with neutrophil chemotaxis, i.e. activation and recruitment of these immune cells to the epithelial surface of the airways, leading to excess mucous secretion and cough. Chicken soup was found to inhibit the neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Whether the same happens in our bodies when we eat chicken soup is unknown but a slow-cooked gelatinous and spicy soup with highly-nutritious meat, vegetables and spices sure is comforting and can definitely clear nasal passages and alleviate symptoms, at least temporarily.
Here’s my easy slow-cooker chicken soup recipe that anyone can prepare with little effort, even when feeling under the weather:
Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup for The Soul and The Body
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs on the bone
500 ml gelatinous chicken stock, preferably home-made
2 carrots, chopped diagonally into thick slices
2 red onion, roughly sliced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 long red chillies, chopped
2 stalks of lemongrass, root ends cut off and the stalks bruised with a side of a knife
Stalks of a small bunch of coriander, chopped
Several sprigs of thyme
A thumb size piece of fresh ginger, sliced into matchsticks
A thumb size piece of fresh turmeric, sliced into matchsticks
½ tsp dried ginger
½ tsp dried turmeric
A handful of dried shiitake mushrooms, stalks removed, then torn in half
A splash of fish sauce
Juice of 1/2-1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Put the chicken thighs into the slow-cooker bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. If necessary, add cold water to cover all ingredients. Put the bowl into the slow-cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Ladle into soup bowls and and top with some chopped coriander leaves and extra fish sauce and lime juice if needed.
Enjoy and stay well!