Bone broth has a long history of medicinal use.
Traditionally, it has been associated with gut
healing, and many modern diseases appear to be
rooted in gut dysfunction
Digestive problems and joint problems in
particular can be successfully addressed using
bone broth, but it’s really a foundational
component of a healing diet regardless of what
ails you
Bone broth is also a staple remedy for acute
illnesses such as cold and flu. Processed,
canned soups will not work as well as the
homemade version
Bone broth contains a variety of valuable
nutrients in a form your body can easily absorb
and use
The more gelatinous the broth, the more
nourishing it will tend to be. To make it as
gelatinous as possible, add chicken feet, pig’s
feet, and/or joint bones
By Dr. Mercola
Bone broth has a long history of medicinal use. It's known to
be warm, soothing, and nourishing for body, mind, and soul...
Physicians harkening as far back as Hippocrates have
associated bone broth with gut healing. And while the importance
of gut health is just now starting to fill our medical journals,
this knowledge is far from new.
In fact, you could say modern medicine is just now
rediscovering how the gut influences health and disease.
Many of our modern diseases appear to be rooted in an
unbalanced mix of microorganisms in your digestive system,
courtesy of a diet that is too high in sugars and too low in
healthful fats and beneficial bacteria.
Digestive problems and joint problems, in particular, can be
successfully addressed using bone broth. But as noted by Dr.
Kaayla Daniel, vice president of the Weston A. Price Foundation
and coauthor (with Sally Fallon Morell) of the book,
Nourishing Broth, bone broth is a foundational component of
a healing diet regardless of what ails you.
How Broth Has Been Used Through the Ages
While our ancestors used to have a pot of soup continuously
puttering over the hearth, this changed with the advent of the
industrial revolution, at which point many poor people simply
couldn't afford the fuel to keep the fire going.
Bouillons and broth powders got their start at that time, as
the need for more portable soups arose. A major turning event
was when Napoleon put out a call for portable soup to feed his
army.
The winner of Napoleon's competition was Nicolas Appert1
(1749-1841), whose canning process paved the way for the modern
day canned goods. Later, John T. Dorrance came up with a process
to create condensed soup, which led to the empire now known as
Campbell's Soups.
In the early 1990s, Campbell Soup was a decent product,
boasting the best ingredients, including lots of butter, and
recipes from the most famous chefs of the era. As noted by Dr.
Daniel, it was a very different product from what we find in
grocery stores today.
Today, if you want truly high-quality bone broth or soup,
your best bet is to make it yourself. Fortunately, it's easy.
The trickiest part is usually going to be finding organic bones.
Bone broth, Dr. Daniel says, is actually a fast food. It just
requires a little planning. One efficient way to create your
broth is to use a slow-cooker or crockpot.
This will allow you to put a few basic ingredients into the
pot in the morning, turn it on low heat, and by the time you get
home in the evening it's done.
Besides being convenient and efficient, it's also safe, as
you won't have to worry about leaving a pot puttering on the
stove, which could pose a fire hazard if left unattended.
"It's an old-fashioned remedy for the modern world," Dr.
Daniel says.
Benefits of Bone Broth
Leaky gut is the root of many health problems, especially
allergies, autoimmune disorders, and many neurological
disorders. The collagen found in bone broth acts like a soothing
balm to heal and seal your gut lining, and broth is a
foundational component of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS)
diet, developed by Russian neurologist
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
The GAPS diet is often used to treat children with autism and
other disorders rooted in gut dysfunction, but just about anyone
with suboptimal gut health can benefit from it.
Bone broth is also a staple remedy for acute illnesses such
as cold and flu. While there aren't many studies done on soup,
one study did find that chicken soup opened up the airways
better than hot water.
Processed, canned soups will not work as well as the homemade
version made from slow-cooked bone broth. If combating a cold,
make the soup hot and spicy with plenty of pepper.
The spices will trigger a sudden release of watery fluids in
your mouth, throat, and lungs, which will help thin down the
respiratory mucus so it's easier to expel. Bone broth contains a
variety of valuable nutrients in a form your body can easily
absorb and use. This includes but is not limited to:
Calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals
Components of collagen and cartilage
Silicon and other trace minerals
Components of bone and bone marrow
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate
The "conditionally essential" amino acids proline,
glycine, and glutamine
These nutrients account for many of the healing benefits of
bone broth, which include the following:
Reduces joint pain and inflammation,
courtesy of chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, and other
compounds extracted from the boiled down cartilage and
collagen.
Inhibits infection caused by cold and
flu viruses etc.
Indeed, Dr. Daniel reports2
chicken soup — known as "Jewish penicillin"—has been revered
for its medicinal qualities at least since Moses Maimonides
in the 12th century. Recent studies on cartilage, which is
found abundantly in homemade broth, show it supports the
immune system in a variety of ways; it's a potent
normalizer, true biological response modifier, activator of
macrophages, activator of Natural Killer (NK) cells, rouser
of B lymphocytes and releaser of Colony Stimulating Factor.
Fights inflammation: Amino acids such
as glycine, proline, and arginine all have anti-inflammatory
effects. Arginine, for example, has been found to be
particularly beneficial for the treatment of sepsis3
(whole-body inflammation). Glycine also has calming effects,
which may help you sleep better.
Promotes strong, healthy bones: Dr.
Daniel reports bone broth contains surprisingly low amounts
of
calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals, but she
says "it plays an important role in healthy bone formation
because of its abundant collagen. Collagen fibrils provide
the latticework for mineral deposition and are the keys to
the building of strong and flexible bones."
Promotes healthy hair and nail growth,
thanks to the gelatin in the broth. Dr. Daniel reports that
by feeding collagen fibrils, broth can even eliminate
cellulite too.
How to Make the Most Nourishing Broth
The more gelatinous the broth, the more nourishing it will
tend to be. Indeed, the collagen that leaches out of the bones
when slow-cooked is one of the key ingredients that make broth
so healing. According to Dr. Daniel, if the broth gets jiggly
after being refrigerated, it's a sign that it's a well-made
broth. To make it as gelatinous as possible, she recommends
adding chicken feet, pig's feet, and/or joint bones.
All of these contain high amounts of collagen and cartilage.
Shank or leg bones, on the other hand, will provide lots of bone
marrow. Marrow also provides valuable health benefits, so
ideally, you'll want to use a mixture of bones. You can make
bone broth using whole organic chicken, whole fish or fish bones
(including the fish head), pork, or beef bones. Vary your menu
as the many types offer different flavors and nutritional
benefits.
If you're using chicken, you can place the entire chicken,
raw, into a pot and cover with water. Add a small amount of
vinegar to help leach the minerals out of the bones.
Alternatively, you can use the carcass bones from a roasted
chicken after the meat has been removed. To ensure the broth is
really gelatinous, Dr. Daniel suggests adding some chicken feet
when you use the carcass of a roasted chicken, as some of the
collagen will have been leached out already during the roasting
process. You can also add vegetables of your choice into the
pot.
The most important aspect of the broth-making process is to
make sure you're getting as high-quality bones as you can.
Ideally, you'll want to use organically raised animal bones.
It's worth noting that chickens raised in concentrated animal
feeding operations (CAFOs) tend to produce chicken stock that
doesn't gel, so you'll be missing out on some of the most
nourishing ingredients if you use non-organic chicken bones. If
you can't find a local source for organic bones, you may need to
order them. A great place to start is your local Weston A. Price
chapter leader,4
who will be able to guide you to local sources.
You can also connect with farmers at local farmers markets.
Keep in mind that many small farmers will raise their livestock
according to organic principles even if their farm is not USDA
certified organic, as the certification is quite costly. So it
pays to talk to them. Most will be more than happy to give you
the details of how they run their operation.
Good beef stock requires several sorts of bones:
knuckle bones and feet impart large quantities of
gelatin to the broth; marrow bones impart flavor and the
particular nutrients of bone marrow; and meaty ribs and
shanks add color and flavor. We have found that
grass-fed beef bones work best--the cartilage melts more
quickly, and the smell and flavor is delicious.
Ingredients
About 4 pounds beef marrow and knuckle bones
1 calf, beef, or pig foot, preferably cut into
pieces
3 pounds meaty bones such as short ribs and beef
shanks
1 small can or jar tomato paste (optional)
4 or more quarts cold filtered water
1/2 cup vinegar
3 onions, ends removed and coarsely chopped
(skin may be left on)
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
1 bouquet garni made with parsley sprigs, thyme
sprigs, and bay leaf, tied together
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, or green or
white peppercorns, crushed
Directions
Place the knuckle and marrow bones and optional
calves foot in a very large pot, toss with vinegar
and cover with cold water. Let stand for 1/2 to 1
hour. Meanwhile, place the meaty bones in a
stainless steel roasting pan. For a particularly
aromatic stock, brush the bones with tomato paste.
Brown at 350 degrees in the oven, about ½ hour. When
well browned, add these bones to the pot. Pour the
fat out of the roasting pan, add cold filtered water
to the pan, set over a high flame and bring to a
boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen up
coagulated juices. Add this liquid to the pot. Add
additional water, if necessary, to cover the bones;
but the liquid should come no higher than within one
inch of the rim of the pot, as the volume expands
slightly during cooking. Bring to a simmer and
carefully skim any scum that comes to the top. After
you have skimmed, add the vegetables, bouquet garni,
and peppercorns.
Simmer stock for at least 12 and as long as 24
hours.
Remove bones with tongs or a slotted spoon.
Strain the stock into a large bowl or several
2-quart Pyrex measuring cups. Let cool in the
refrigerator and remove the congealed fat that rises
to the top. Transfer to smaller containers and to
the freezer for long-term storage.
Note: The marrow may be removed from the marrow bones
a couple of hours into the cooking, and spread on whole
grain sourdough bread. If left in the pan for the entire
cooking period, the marrow will melt into the broth,
resulting in a broth that is cloudy but highly
nutritious.
Variation: Lamb Stock
Use lamb bones, especially lamb neck bones
and riblets. Ideally, use all the bones left after
butchering the lamb. Be sure to add the feet if you have
them. This makes a delicious stock.
Variation: Venison Stock
Use venison meat and bones. Be sure to use
the feet of the deer and a section of antler if
possible. Add 1 cup dried wild mushrooms if desired.
Bone Broth—A Medicinal 'Soul Food'
Slow-simmering bones for a day will create one of the most
nutritious and healing foods there is. You can use this broth
for soups, stews, or drink it straight. The broth can also be
frozen for future use. Making bone broth also allows you to make
use of a wide variety of leftovers, making it very economical.
Bone broth used to be a dietary staple, as were
fermented foods, and the elimination of these foods from our
modern diet is largely to blame for our increasingly poor
health, and the need for dietary supplements.
"I would like to urge people to make as much broth as
possible," Dr. Daniel says in closing. "Keep that
crockpot going; eat a variety of soups, and enjoy them
thoroughly."