Nana Was Right: Chicken Soup Is Good for What Ails You

Science proves what grandmas have always known

By Abigail Lewis

As winter shifts into spring, colds and sniffles often make an unwelcome appearance and linger. What’s the best remedy? Nana knew—it’s chicken soup. And if it has a matzo ball in it, so much the better.

Historical awareness of the beneficial properties of chicken soup dates back at least to the 12th century, when a Jewish physician, astronomer and philosopher named Rabbi Moshe ben Maimonides began recommending it for “rectifying corrupted humours.” He, in turn, based his work on earlier Greek writings.

It wasn’t until 1993, however, that what bubbies have instinctively known for centuries was proven in a laboratory. A researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, inspired by watching his wife cook her Lithuanian grandmother’s recipe, discovered that chicken soup “may contain a number of substances, including an anti-inflammatory mechanism, that could ease the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.”

The informal lab study by Stephen Rennard, M.D., was later published in CHEST, a peer-reviewed physicians’ journal, in an article titled, “Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis In Vitro.”

So how does it work? The main ingredient, chicken, contains cysteine, an amino acid that thins the mucous in the lungs, making it easier to expectorate. There are also beneficial vitamins and antioxidants in the vegetables. In truth, however, the precise ingredient that blocks the movement of neutrophils—the most common white blood cell that defends against infection—could not be determined, and it appeared that the alchemy of all the ingredients was necessary in order to be effective.

Surprisingly, even some commercial chicken soups were evaluated to be effective in blocking neutrophils. But who would want canned soup when the homemade version is invariably tastier?