The Case for Bone Broth

Bone broth has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries across multiple cultures.  It has now become more mainstream in Western culture for its known health benefits. In our clinic we often recommend bone broth to our fertility and pregnant patients. You may be wondering why we love this medicinal stock so much, so let's explore its benefits.

Bone Broth and Chinese Medicine

According to Chinese medicine, we are born with Kidney Qi or “life essence” which is an important source of energy that we will need and use throughout our lives. Part of our Kidney Essence is known as “acquired” jing. Acquired jing is built from the food we take in and can always be replenished. The other portion of our life essence comes from “congenital” jing.  Congenital jing is what we inherit from our birth parents; it is also considered to be our familial genetics. Unlike acquired jing, we are born with a finite amount of congenital jing and we want it to last throughout our lifetime. When our jing is depleted, illness occurs, some examples being fatigue, chronic pain, depression, and infertility. We can not create more congenital jing but we can nourish and preserve it through a healthy lifestyle.     

Some ways we can preserve our precious life essence is through proper rest, healthy boundaries, and a nourishing whole foods diet. While everything we eat matters, bone broth is the food item that most resembles Kidney Essence and is the best option to nourish our congenital jing which can result in an increase in vitality, fertility and an overall sense of wellbeing.  

Bone Broth Benefits

  • Rich in collagen, which is not only a fertility tonic but also helpful in miscarriage prevention and post-partum recovery.
  • Heals the mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract which aids in digestion and nutrient assimilation.
  • Promotes bone growth and tissue repair.
  • Rich in the building block nutrients needed for fertility such as gelatin, amino acids, glycine, calcium, and magnesium.

 

Bone Broth Recipe

Photo of cooked bones, carrots and a bowl of bone broth on a table.

Recipe adapted from, The Joy of Cooking

Ingredients:

2 or 3 lbs marrow bones*

2 medium carrots

1 medium onion

3 celery stalks

1 turnip or parsnip (optional)

dash red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried thyme

6-10 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Directions:

Crack the bones and put everything into a crockpot, cover with water and slow cook overnight. Cool the soup for a while. Then, strain the soup through a cheesecloth (you should only be left with the broth) and let it cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator.  After it’s cooled, there will be some fat that is congealed on the top.  Skim this off and throw it away and then fill ice-cube trays with the soup until frozen.  You can store the cubes, two each, in zip lock bags. 

*You can purchase “natural” marrow bones at PCC, Metropolitan Market and Whole Foods.  You may have to ask the butcher for them.

For those of you who have heard about the concerns about heavy metals in bone broth and want more information about why bone broth is most likely safe can read here:

https://chriskresser.com/bone-broth-and-lead-toxicity-should-you-be-concerned/


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