Medicinal Herb & Chicken Soup

Okay, so you've heard that chicken soup is for the soul, for a cold, for the flu and for just about everything... BUT not all chicken soups are created equal.  This one has it all covered in my opinion.  We eat this throughout the year but even more so in winter when people around us are sick and we are more susceptible to becoming ill ourselves due to less fresh foods from our gardens or from less vitamin D.  I can proudly say that nobody in my family has been to the doctor for an illness in the past eight years! I believe it is so important to learn to care for ourselves, first by preventative health and second, by knowing what to do in case you do come down with something.  Between the five people in my family we have been sick probably five times (collectively) in the last ten years.  Even when we were sick, we quickly recovered.  The trick is to NOT run to the doctor for an antibiotic prescription.  You can easily take care of coughs, colds, flus, viruses, stomach and digestive issues, and many other ailments on your own.  There is a place and time for doctors, but that is not every time that you sniffle.   Here is one of the many tools I have in my home's "medicine chest" to keep us healthy year round.  This recipe can be tweaked depending on your taste preference or what you have on hand.  Here is what I used today:

• One whole chicken, I took the skin off but added in the giblets for extra iron, and for sure leave the bones.  Slowly simmer the chicken for about 45 minutes before you add anything else so the bones really get the chance to release their calcium and gelatin into the broth.
• Chinese Five Spice which consists of fennel, anise, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon.  Warming herbs that help the body's systems function more efficiently and help circulation.
•  Parsley Boost the immune system by providing important vitamins, including Vitamins A, C,  B 12, and K. Helps flush excess fluid (improves kidney function) and tones nervous system.
• Turmeric Powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, this is a "super-spice" (good for so many things I couldn't possibly list them all here!)
• Fenugreek Balances cholesterol and blood sugar levels.  Nourishes body during illness.
• Fresh Garlic - It is referred to as "Russian penicillin" because it is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, is used to treat cold, cough, flu, reduce cholesterol and fight cancer to name a few of the many, many things it is great for.
• Dried Rose Hips (Bottom left)- Contain 50% more vitamin C than oranges!
• Astragalus Root (Bark looking stuff below the garlic) Will kick your immune system into action, fights cancer and is good for your heart.  Do not add if you are already sick as it can actually "lock" the sickness into your cells.  It can also "lock out" a sickness and is therefore a great herb for preventing illness.  Also, do no take if you have an auto-immune disease.
• Gogi Berries (Dried red berries) These potent little berries have been used as medicine and food in the east for over 3,000 years!  They have significant antioxidant properties and have one of the highest vitamin C contents of any food in the world!  They are used to treat a wide variety of ailments, I suggest you become acquainted if you aren't already.  I add them to oatmeal, soups, health bars, smoothies, or eat them plain.  PACKED with vitamins & minerals.
• Elderberries- Used to treat cough, cold, flu, viral and bacterial infections.  High in antioxidants... and like a bazillion other uses.  (My favorite herb!)
• Fresh Ginger- Ginger actually has more than 40 pharmacological actions (stuff it can help with, medicinally) it is an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and reduces nausea and other stomach ailments.
• Carrots, Onions, Celery, Kale Hearty veggies that contain many vitamins, minerals, and fiber





 

Before I go on, I can already hear what you are likely thinking... "I don't have all of that stuff on hand!  So I might as well not even try to make this."  (Hopefully that's not what you're thinking, but that is what I may have said).  Don't throw in the towel just yet friends!  You would be amazed at what your common spices can do for you.  Cheyenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, thyme, cloves, pepper and even a healthier salt like Himalayan Mineral Salt can all improve your body's performance and help heal many illnesses.  I'm going to plop this link in here for you just to whet your appetite.  I LOVE this site and magazine, but there are a plethora of other articles on this subject for you to easily research as well. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/cowell122.html

Option #2 is even better, go ahead and buy these things like Gogi berries, astragalus root and some elderberries (if you can't find them growing around you).  They are used weekly if not daily in my home in multiple applications.  Start to get friendly with these herbs and spices and experiment with teas, tinctures, cooking and baking with them.  You won't be disappointed!  I buy all of my bulk herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com and Monterey Bay Spice Co. www.herbco.com BUT everything that I can grow myself I do, because I like to become very well acquainted with the things that I use and there is no better way than planting it, watching it grow, caring for it, harvesting it, processing it, and using it.  I mean that's all an education in itself, wouldn't you say?  So buy them, plant them, get them from the store, whatever.  But try them for sure.

 

 

Medicinal Chicken & Herb Soup Recipe

 

*(PLEASE if you see something that you don't have, substitute for whatever you do have!)*  If you try something and like it, please share what you did in the comments for us to try too  :)

 

1 Whole Chicken, skin off

6 Carrots, large diced

4 Celery stalks, including the leaves, diced

2 Large onions, medium diced

2 Cups kale, finely chopped

1-2 Inches fresh ginger, slices or grated

1 Head of fresh garlic, roughly chopped

4 Tablespoons dried parsley (double if fresh)

1 1/2 Teaspoons turmeric

1 1/2 Teaspoons fenugreek seed, ground (I use coffee grinder)

1 Teaspoon Five Chinese Spices

4 Astragalus root slices

1/4 Cup Gogi Berries, whole

1/3 Cup elderberries (dried, fresh, or frozen)

1/4 cup rose hips, dried or fresh, chopped

1 cup barley (or other grain)

salt and pepper to taste

coconut oil (optional)

enough water to cover everything in the pot, I didn't measure :/

 

Put the whole chicken in a large pot and cover with water, let it gently simmer for 45 minutes or until almost done.  Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the coconut oil and cover with water again.  Let everything cook together for 20 minutes, the chicken should be fully cooked at that point.  Remove the chicken and let it cool a bit while everything else finishes cooking.  Debone the chicken very carefully and shred it up into bite-sized pieces.  Add it back into the soup.  You can add a few tablespoons of coconut oil at this point, just to get it into your diet, and the coconut flavor that floats to the top is yummy.  In fact you could probably add a bit of canned coconut milk to this recipe and it would be delicious!  I truly hope you enjoy this delicious and very nutrition soup and that it finds you in good health.