Chicken soup has long been an off-label medicinal treatment for the common cold and flu as long as most of us can remember. So, it seems in these troubled times of COVID-19, we are hearing of its use in both healthy and coronavirus inflicted patients. An elixir from antiquity, chicken soup and its Passover-inspired cousin, matzo ball soup, are the “magic potions” from yesteryear that have been a proven adjuvant to analgesics and cough suppressants. However an Amazon search for chicken soup brings up a dizzying array of “out of stock” and “delayed delivery” for dozens of pre-made poultry influenced self-prescribed potions. Chicken noodle, chicken and stars, old-fashioned chicken noodle, low sodium, healthy request, chunky, cream of chicken and every conceivable form of soup on a grocery shelf is starkly absent. In fact, chicken soup is one of two most requested items on Amazon. When I took a moment to ponder why, my memory was flooded with memories of my grandmother, aunt and mother serving up large bowls of chicken soup for every childhood illness that befell me. And, to be quite frank, I almost instantly felt better after its consumption.
My maternal grandmother, Nan, unveiled her divine Matzo Ball Soup at the start of each Passover Seder. Even a “soup skeptic” like my father, devoured the contents of the bowl. I can still hear the clanking of his soup spoon on the bottom of the porcelain dish. My nuclear family had matzo ball soup anticipation throughout the year, and not unlike McDonald’s McRibs strategy, Nan would bring it out during random Erev Shabbat gatherings. While there were many proponents of Nan’s soup credentials there was not unanimous agreement. Aunt Rose’s Matzo Ball Soup was touted as the gold standard by my relatives north of the Bronx. The debate on the best soup went on for decades.
Chickens can incubate avian influenza but they can provide sustenance through their soup derivatives. The 12th century Jewish physician and rabbi, Maimonides declared the medicinal properties of chicken soup back in the 12th century. Modern science has weighed in on its medicinal values. Chicken soup can slow the entry of white cells into the nasal cavity, explaining the improvement in airflow. Medical researchers at Mt. Sinai in Miami Beach ascertaned chicken soup challenge in humans showed an improvement in nasal mucus flow, a marker of viral clearance. Chicken soup can also improve cilia function, the hair-like projections on naso-respiratory cells that “clean up” the nasal and respiratory passages, The soup additives, onions and garlic can have antiviral effects.
As Jews celebrate Passover and recall the 10 plagues of antiquity while living through a 21st Century pandemic, let us remember the benefits and memories that our loved ones provided: the humble Matzo ball/chicken soup miracle.