In Chinese culture, burn patients or patients who have surgery or chemotherapy often eat bird’s nest for quicker recovery. Bird’s nest has been known for its water soluble protein and amino acetic acid contents. Amino acid, in fact, is a bioactive substance that is capable of promoting cell growth and regeneration.
In addition, as bird’s nest also contains collagen and minerals, it is a popular ingredient in many beauty products.
So, this saliva must be worthy to break your wallet to have [In Hong Kong 55 pounds of top quality bird’s nest (the most prized) can be worth $50,000]? Well, not necessarily.
In fact, the males of Swiftlet (a bird about the size of a sparrow found in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent) weave a nest from strands of saliva which bonds like quick-drying cement to the inside of a cave wall. Usually, Swiftlet nests are carefully removed from the cave wall during harvesting. Unfortunately, since the demand for these nests is huge, the price of them have become so high that harvesters no longer wait until eggs or chicks depart the nest and both are simply discarded when nest taken. Obviously, this practice has created a very negative impact on these birds—a decline in the swiftlet population.
“Although bird’s nest contains nutritious value, it, actually can be substituted by other foods,” Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioners said. “For example, egg for protein and milk for amino acid. But the closest substitute must be snow fungus.”
Snow fungus (also called silver ear fungus/snow ear fungus/white jelly fungus) can be found on many trees in warmer climates especially in Asia. It has a pale, yellowish-white color and is nearly translucent.
According to TCM, snow fungus has a bittersweet taste and is “neutral in nature.” It acts particularly on lungs and stomach, which can replenish blood, nourish lungs and “Yin”( the energy being accumulated, assimilated and stored for later use) and is regarded as a tonic. “Among many, one of the most valuable medicinal properties of snow fungus is leukopenia prevention, which is the low white blood cell counts inherent in patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment.” said of TCM Practitioners.
In addition, snow fungus has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. Studies have shown that it can boost the effectiveness of antibodies and reduce cancers spread. And when speaking of beauty, since snow fungus is rich in collagen as well, it is able to not only improve complexion, but also reduce freckles!
“People have been saying that snow fungus is an alternative to expensive bird’s nest for the poor man. I think it also is the friendly alternative for the environment,” TCM Practitioners added.
Want to nourish your body and preserve the environment at the same time? Check out this green recipe: Snow Fungus With Jujube And Chinese Wolf Berries Soup. It is recession proof, too!
Image by FotoosVanRobin
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