The nutritious benefits of Bird Spit Soup

For centuries, Bird Spit Soup in China is considered as a delicacy with numerous health benefits.

According to the Chinese, this is referred to as the “Ying” or cold food and the ancient stories tells us that Bird Spit Soup  is the dish for the dynasties and it is considered a very special and expensive food reserved only for the kings.

Various studies have showed that Bird Spit Soup proved to have many benefits, including:

Beauty

Rich in antioxidants to counteract free radicals such as dust, pollution, etc.
Makes skin beamingly smoother.
Delaying premature aging (disguise fine lines, wrinkles & moisturizes the skin evenly).

Health

Maintain fetal health (fetal skin becomes smooth and clean).
Maintain the respiratory system (lung organs).
Overcoming anemia (low blood).
Cures Fever.
Anticancer (inhibits tumor cell growth/cancer).
Accelerate post-illness body recovery.
Helps protect your kidney.

 The nutritious benefits of Bird Spit Soup  

Rich in nutritional content

Swiftlet nests have a total protein content of about 65%, while the remaining is 10% water, 23.3% fat, and 0.8% carbohydrate. It also contains minerals, and the most are calcium and iron.
The total content of amino acids in a swallow’s nest is about 6 percent, which consists of amides, humins, arginine, cystine, histidine, and lysine.

Regeneration of cells and increase metabolism and immunity

The high content of glycoproteins and minerals makes a nice swiftlet nest to help regenerate and grow the body’s cells, rejuvenate the skin & boost the metabolic and immune system.

Alternative medicine for various types of diseases

Swiftlet nest is believed to have properties to strengthen the lungs. Consuming Bird Spit Soup  is also used to aid the treatment for degenerative diseases such as cancer, as well as to restoring health after illness.
Recent studies conducted in Hong Kong suggest that swallow nests may be useful in the treatment of AIDS.

Fertility and reproductive process

Laboratory test results of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2003 stated that, swiftlet nest is believed to nourish the reproductive system to optimize body functions and hormones

Contents

According to research, swallow nest contains 50-60% protein, 25% carbohydrate and 10% water.
Special type of white swallow nest contains N-acetylneuraminic acid and special type of red swallow nest contains ovotransferrin protein. The composition of the comparative white and red swallow nest are
Fat (0,14% : 1,28%),
Ash (2, 1% : 2,1%),
Carbohydrates (25,62% : 27,26%),
Protein (62 : 63%).
Not only that, all types of swallow nests also contain cell division inducing hormone and epidermal growth factor (EGF) which can affect cell growth and deference, including growth tissue, cell regeneration, and immune system.
Other content is sodium (Na) 650 ppm, potassium (K) 110 ppm, phosphor (P) 40 ppm, magnesium (Mg) 330 ppm and iron (Fe) 30 ppm.
As well as having amino acids as many as 17 kinds of them, Leusin (5.9%) Aspartate (5.5%), Glutamate (5.5%) and Tyrosine (5.2).
Ovotransferrin is a glycoprotein of albumin (egg white). Transferrins is an iron-binding protein.

Bird Spit Soup  Knowledge

Bird Spit Soup is the saliva produced by a special species of swallow called the swiftlet while building the nest. the saliva glues with other impurities (such as feathers) to form the nest.

There are 3 harvesting periods of Bird Spit Soup in a year:

First phase (first harvesting period : from November to January every year-springtime of Indonesia)
In this season of abundance and thriving, the swiftlet grows up strong and healthy and is able to secrete plentiful saliva. Under such favourable enviroment, Bird Spit Soup harvested during this period is purer and gets bigger expansion after soaking. The body of Bird Spit Soup is obviously larger in size and thicker in texture. Bird Spit Soup in this phase is the most nutritious and contains much more proteins and minerals.
IBNI has its own Bird Spit Soup farmhouses and processing plants in Indonesia. Some time before every Chinese Lunar New Year, IBNI ships fresh ‘first phase’ Bird Spit Soup  to Hong Kong through air cargo. This guarantees sufficient supply of ‘first phase’ Bird Spit Soup  in the market all the year round.
Second phase & third phase
It is not as good comparing with the first phase Bird Spit Soup in terms of quality and quantity. During these seasons, the swiftlet is weak due to unfavourable weather and lean food supply. Saliva secretion is slow and lots of feathers fall off, thus increase impurities. The Bird Spit Soup is usually smaller in size and has lesser expandability.

Function:

Over one hundred years of consumption by people, Bird Spit Soup had been confirmed by many scholars & experts and sees it as a kind of tonic with healing effects.
In recent years, the Chineses University of Hong Kong had conducted a thorough and in-depth study on Bird Spit Soup  .
It was discovered that the water soluble protein of Bird Spit Soup contains both Mitogenic Stimulation Factor and Epidermic Browth Factor which can:
- enhance the rebirth of cells, reinforce the immune system
- restore energy and stamina
- fortify human body's tolerance towards the damage done by X-rays of other radioactive treatments
- boost heart functions
- supply heat energy to human's body
Bird Spit Soup has become more and more popular over these years. Lot of peolpe see it as health enhancing food. it also promote growth of children, accelerate recovery from illness and after giving birth.
From a nutririon point of view, Bird Spit Soup contains:
- 60% proteins (water soluble proteins) and several amino acids
- 10% water content
- 30% of cellulose, carbohydrates, a little fat and various minaral such as calcium, sulphide, pottassium, phosphor and iodine.
Bird Spit Soup can be taken by people of any age of gender:
- New Born Baby: Stew Bird Spit Soup until it is dessolved in water and then mix it with milk or rice porridge. This can help digestion, regulate digestive ststem and enhance appetite.
- Pregnant woman (during pregnancy): Help promote the brain growth of the fetus.
- Pregnant woman (giving birth) :speed up revovery of body shape and bring back beauty
- Children: Improve immune ststem, facilitate healthy growth of body and brain
- Adolescents: Accelerate metabolism, strengthen the body functions. Giving fine and fair skin.
- Tension, workload fatique: Relieve tiredness and alleviate pressure.
- Weakness after illness, asthma patient: Regain energy and strength, improve immune ststem and smooth breathing
- People suffering sleep disorder and having hot body characteristic: Dissipate intestinal heat, moisten lung

Identified by its origin, bird"s nest can be catrgorized as "cave nest" and "house nest"

House Nest (including common white Bird Spit Soup and house grass Bird Spit Soup  )
House nest is the Bird Spit Soup built inside a special house called 'farmhouse'. The swiflet builds its nest on the beams and walls inside the house. The Bird Spit Soup  , therefore, may bear slight wood-chips smell. Farmhouses are mainly found in the coastal area of Indonesia, particularly around Badong, Balai and Java. Workers conduct inspection on the Bird Spit Soup  in the farmhouse regularly and cut the nest down for further processing (removal of feathers and impurities) in the plant.
The characteristics of House nest are: good quality, few detached feathers and having smooth mouth-feel. Its expandability is high after soaking 5 to 7 times in average. White Bird Spit Soup has softer mouth-feel but cannot be stewed too long. It is preferrable to stew the nest for 30 to 45 minutes before serving. Furthermore, house nest can be classified as yellow Bird Spit Soup (golden Bird Spit Soup  ) and red Bird Spit Soup(bloody red Bird Spit Soup  ).
If the stewing time is too long (over 1 to 2 hour), the Bird Spit Soup will dissolve in water and disappear.
Cave Nest (including cave Bird Spit Soup  , cave grass Bird Spit Soup and feather Bird Spit Soup  )
Cave Bird Spit Soup os harvested in caves and therefore is absorbs plentiful mineral from the rock. Workers use a special kind of tool to pick the Bird Spit Soup .
Cave Bird Spit Soup is mainly in beige of yellow colour. Comparing to house nest, it contains more hair feathers, has firmer tissue and bigger expandability. It can be stewed for a longer time and the stewed Bird Spit Soup gives our fragrant smell with good mouth-feel.