Bereshit:...Fowl [chicken etc] were created on the fifth day. As we starting Genesis [Bereshit], let's also start with a very old traditionally dish:chicken soup also known as "Jewish penicillin" [just like garlic has been called Russian penicillin]The Rambam [Maimonides] already lauded the virtues of chicken [soup],especially for asthma. He wrote a whole treatise about the treatment of asthma in Arabic for the sun of his “master” [“adoni”] the Sultan in Egypt I will quote from the translations by professor Fred Rosner-a great Talmid chacham-[who translated the medical writings of the Rambam in English] in connection with the health benefits of chickens as described by Maimonides. Maimonides described what kind of chicken [tarnegolim] would be the best to consume: not too old [younger than 2 year],not too young, not too lean, preferable fatty chicken [by nature and not by stuffed feeding].As this soup is especially well known in the Jewish kitchen we may try to find out what is "new" since the Rambam. Since long chicken soup has been described-par excellence- for treating respiratory problems .Recently chicken soup has been examined by modern medical research, not really necessary...., but still very fascinating to read and to knowCystein [found in many protein foods as well as in chicken is released when chicken soup is made]-is also prescribed in the form of a medicine called acetylcysteine- causes a thinning of mucus in the lungs and is therefore beneficial for lung infections.[During the Corona acetylcysteine has become know again as an important supplement [NAC]In 1975 a remarkable article was published [journal: Chest 1975;67:215] where a patient needed surgery and penicillin treatment for a severe pneumonia AFTER he stopped treating himself properly with chicken soup!! This article was the cause of a long correspondence where many other virtues of chicken soup were mentioned like treating anxiety, backache impotence , etc. with remarks especially by professor Fred Rosner.Maimonides describes boiled chicken soup as an excellent food and medicine even for the treatment of leprosy.!! [tzara-at][whatever was meant with that] Main indications for chicken soup are a nose[cold],and respiratory infections [bronchitis, pneumonia] and often asthma.It is an excellent "medicine" to recover from various diseases which left a person weakened.[All Jewish mothers knew for ages] It may be further helpful for: to increases sexual strength, anxiety], weakness in general, hemorrhoids, and possible for much more.It has also been found that the calcium content of chicken soup increases with the duration of cooking the soup with bones. Chicken soup prepared this way may be of use in patients who require calcium, but cannot tolerate dairy products or other calcium sources. There are of course endless small variations as to how chicken soup is made.In Suriname peanut soup is well known: peanut['butter'] added to chicken or meat soup: worth trying!Personally I would advise adding in cases of colds and coughs some black pepper as well, as this is one of the best drugs for loosening mucus. And what about our vegetarian friends?Well. you could try to sniff up the vapors from hot chicken soup from your friend etc, this may also be of some benefit.And for those who take chicken soup as a medicine, sip hot soup little bits at a time instead of drinking a whole cup at once, to make it more effective. Recently it has been shown that chicken-especially the meat of the legs- may be of benefit for hypertension [ACE inhibiting].In fact I have found in a Chinese book for recipes [by FaXiang Hou]various chicken soup prescriptions for hypertension [chicken chow mein, spicy gingered chicken etc] Chicken cartilage soup have also shown to be useful in patients with rheumatoid arthritis .Even for the treatment of thyroiditis [with hyperthyreoidea] chicken soup has been described.As for the relief that chicken soup could give for facial pain,I could not find out what kind of pain it works but I would certainly try it for trigeminal neuralgia , a particular difficult condition to treat! A very nice article [not free from some subtle humor]was written about chicken soup by professor Abraham Ohry and dr.Jenni Tsafrir [Tel ha-shomer].The link is: www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/161/12/1532 For recent research about chicken and its skin [and the benefits]: go to google, type: groups, click on groups, type: bdmesq and type in the search field: chickenAnd to end with a happy note:Chicken soup is considered to be able to correct too much black bile [humours] [Rambam] which is connected with melancholy.[sadness] [These old traditional terms are forgotten or banned [geniza] in modern medicine] A cup of chicken soup could do quite a bit of good here, possibly, by correcting the “excess of black bile”.And as we are/were in the middle of happy days[semachot]: a few hints in the Tora.[my “fantasy”] The chicken was created on the fifth day: chamesh: chet mem shin : turn letters around: Sameach.[shin mem chet]And so the fish,which is known to remove worries [dag mesir da-aga...nowadays explained by the omega 3 in fish] And if you ask about meat [behama]? Are meat [and wine] not advised by our Rabbis for happiness on our feast days?Well: the cattle [behema] was created on the sixth day [shesh] shin -shin and is the word sas[on][sin-sin] not connected ? All these last remarks you may forget straight away course.......Extra remark: All these great benefits have drastically changed for sure during the last 10-15 years or more and chicken have be come a major source of sever, life dangerous infections because of the bacteria they carry ALL because of the way they are treated [Jewish and non-Jewish slaughtered]Patients [especially women] taking immunosuppressive drugs [auto immune disease, cancer etc] better totally stay away from chicken even by preparing it for family as it can endanger their life [deadly urinary tract infections]May Corona at least cause us to realize how much has gone wrong for so long because of "money", our egel ha-zahav and for other reasons, everyone may fill in is he feels he "knows the truth".
medicine from harold jitschak bueno de mesquita 