Cold Remedies: Benefits of Chicken & Bone Broth | CareSpot

Does bone broth really help when you have a cold? Learn what science says, plus potential benefits for immunity, hydration, and symptom relief.

Does Bone Broth Really Help Cure the Common Cold?

Have you noticed it’s everywhere? It seems that all of a sudden, bloggers in alternative health, the Paleo diet and natural living began touting the benefits of bone broth. It is recommended as a general health tonic, an immune system booster and a cure when you are feeling ill. Is this flavorful liquid the miracle tincture that so many people believe it to be?

The truth is, bone broth isn’t a new discovery. This liquid which is made by simmering bones of beef, poultry, pork or fish in water, is just stock, which has been used by cooks as the foundation of soups, stews and sauces for quite a long time.

What is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is a stock that requires at least 6 hours to prep. In fact, some types of bone broth can slow cook for 24 hours or longer. There are no set rules for creating the broth, but it is often made with bones from cows, chicken, bison, turkey, and even fish.

You can limit it to just the broth, or add fresh vegetables or meat. Once you cook the bones, place the broth in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the fat to rise to the top, then scrape that fat layer off to make a healthy, low-calorie stock soup.

There is a long historical tradition of using these sorts of hot liquids as a remedy when someone is ill. In America, it’s traditionally been chicken soup. In Korea, it’s a beef bone soup called seolleongtang. Mexico has sopa de lima and countless other remedies exist around the world.

Unfortunately, neither bone broth, nor any other remedy, can cure the common cold. A cold is a virus, and that means that the only cure is time. Your body’s immune system will eventually fight off the infection, usually in about 10 days.

However, that doesn’t mean that bone broth and other hot soups do not help.

What Makes Bone Broth Healthy?

There is no evidence that bone broth will cure your cold, but there is a good reason Mom or Dad made you all that soup when you were sick. It has plenty of nutritional benefits. Stock broth made this way offers a rich source of magnesium, for example. It contains other key nutrients, as well, such as:

• Iron
• Selenium
• Copper
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B6

Bone broth features some essential amino acids, too, namely:

• Argentine
• Lysine
• Glutamine
• Proline

These are all critical to digestion, cognitive function, and detoxification—a key factor in alleviating cold symptoms.

These hot liquids do have some therapeutic benefit. While there is not a great deal of research on the effectiveness of bone broth, one study does indicate that, when made with chicken, it can help reduce the severity of a cold. Researchers found that people who ate chicken soup experienced a mild reduction in inflammation which helped relieve some symptoms of respiratory tract infections.

When you are sick, it is easy to become dehydrated, especially if you are sweating from a fever or running to the bathroom with gastrointestinal issues. Broth is hydrating, and the electrolytes (in the form of sodium) mean your body can absorb the water more easily. Broth can also be easier to “keep down” if an illness has made you nauseated. Having something warm to drink can also feel comforting when fever leaves you with the chills.

What are the Health Benefits of Bone Broth?

Bone broth has some healthy nutritional elements, but how does that translate into it being “good” for your body? For one thing, the combination of vitamins, minerals and amino acids work together to strengthen the immune system, giving you the tools you need to fight off an invading cold virus. The broth can also help thin mucus to clear out your sinus and breathing passages, too.

Some claim that drinking bone broth helps the digestion, and there may be some truth there. When you are filling up on bone broth, you are not eating foods that irritate your stomach or that are difficult to digest. Some practitioners recommend bone broth for digestion because it contains gelatin that may heal the intestinal lining and reduce the chance of having unpleasant digestive issues.

There isn’t much scientific proof to back up the benefits of bone broth in your diet; but it is, after all, the food of our ancestors. While it may not cure your cold, it may indeed help you feel better faster.

So, What’s the Answer?

Because of the benefits, go ahead and drink bone broth when you have a cold. While it is not a cure, it may help relieve symptoms to help you feel better more quickly.

If you are sick for more than 10 days or if you experience worsening symptoms, professional medical care may be in order. This is especially important if you are experiencing chest pain or are having trouble breathing, as this may be a situation best handled at the ER.

Our trained medical staff at CareSpot Urgent Care can help determine the cause of your symptoms and recommend treatment to get you back to better health.