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Article: Chicken soup for the common cold: folklore or fact?
- Article from:
- Environmental Nutrition
- Article date:
- February 1, 1994
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Environmental Nutrition, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Q. When I was young my mother always made me chicken soup when I had a cold. Is this an old wives' tale or is there any scientific basis to her practice?
A. The answer is it's a little of both. As early as the 12th century, the physician and philosopher Maimonides wrote, "Soup made from an old chicken is of benefit against chronic fevers... and also aids the cough...." To this day, mothers and grandmothers everywhere advocate chicken soup for what ails you.
More recently, however, modern science has shown that there really may be some truth to this age-old practice. Drinking any hot liquid seems to help break up congestion and ease the flow of nasal ...