Healing Bone Broth - liquid gold you can brew yourself!
In my kitchen it has been dubbed ‘the liquid gold’, as we never waste even a drop of this precious substance! Bone broth is a part of many healing protocols, as well as in supporting therapies during pregnancy, postpartum, or for an extra immunity and health support. So, let’s get to the bones of it and find out why! Also make sure to reach to the end of the article to get the recipe for this superpower beverage :)
Bone broth is a potent elixir primarily made of animal bones, marrow, joints and tissues, and not so much the animal meat. Common choices of animal bones include chicken, beef, fish and game. I always add chicken feet – they are super rich in collagen!
SUPER IMPORTANT! If you make it or buy it ready-made, ensure bone quality! Use bones from organic and grass-fed (pastured) animals. How the animal lives, translates into their body make up and constitution, and thus into what you are ingesting at a later stage.
Bone broth is cooked anywhere between 10-72h. I usually cook mine for +24 hours. Thanks to that long cooking time, the essence of the bones, addition of many vegetables and spices, we can enjoy a multilayered taste which greatly enhances any cooked dish and is a treat on its own.
In order to support the extraction of the minerals, I add a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to the bones+water and let it soak for half an hour before I turn on the gas.
Benefits of drinking bone broth include:
- healthy skin, hair and nails
- assist in wound healing
- healthier gastrointestinal tract & improved nutrient absorption
- supports healing of joints and ligaments
- boosts immunity
- help to eliminate roots of allergy and autoimmune diseases
- relief for the liver
- speedy recovery
- better mood
- curbs inflammation
We can account to all of these amazing benefits thanks to the presence of gelatin, minerals and amino acids in this liquid gold broth.
Minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium and potassium in easily absorbable forms are excellent for bone-building; amino acids glycine and proline (not found in significant amounts in muscle meat) are amazing for joint and collagen building (yes, your body makes collagen inside!). The broth also contains chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which reduce inflammation, arthritis and joint pain.
What is more, the complex amino acids and high gelatinous content may soothe and heal the gut and support the health of your structure (bones, joints, skin, ligament, tendons). With a healthier gut comes better health overall, and the nutrient absorption from other foods increases as well!
I recommend drinking bone broth anytime you feel a bit under the weather, or when you need recovery support. You could drink it straight up, use it as a base for soups and sauces, cook grains in it, and optionally add medicinal mushrooms such as reishi to further boost immunity and nutrition. Especially for postpartum recovery, drink a cup of the broth every day for two weeks.
After making it yourself, you can either refrigerate and consume within 3-5 days, or freeze and consume anytime you need that extra support.
Recipe for Healing Bone Broth
Ingredients:
- About 2 kg of bones (eg. beef bones with marrow, chicken bones and carcass, chicken feet, fish bones)
- 4-5 L of filtered water
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBSP algae, eg. kelp
- pinch of sea salt
Vegetables, such as:
- 1-2 onions
- 1-2 carrots
- 1-2 parsley root
- ¼ - ½ head of celeriac
- 2-3 celery sticks
- 1 leek
- A few cloves of garlic
- ¼ cabbage
- Stems of peeled herbs and greens,
e.g. parsley, dill, kale, spinach, etc.
Spices, such as:
- Ginger root (about 3 cm)
- Turmeric (2 cm root,m or 1-2 tsp dried)
- Black peppercorns (1tsp)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-5 grains of allspice
- Coriander seeds (1 tsp)
- Fennel seeds (1 tsp)
- Thyme (1 tsp)
- Rosemary (1 tsp)
- Fenugreek (1 tsp)
- 2-3 cloves
- Star anise
- Cardamon pod
- Few dried mushrooms
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Place bones and chicken feet in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes
- Once out of the oven, transfer bones to the soup pot in which you are preparing the broth and leave to cool.
- Once cooled, pour in water to cover all the bones, and add apple cider vinegar.
- Allow to soak for about half an hour to an hour.
- Then start heating the pot until the water begins to boil slightly, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting so that the broth is very gently simmering. You should hardly see any steam rising.
- Over the next hour or two, so-called ‘scum’ may appear on a surface – dirty foam that should be removed and discarded.
- Then add the algae, and cover the broth with a lid, stirring from time to time and checking to make sure the bones are still under water.
- Leave it this was for 24-48 hours.
- For the last 2-5 hours, add the vegetables and spices. They don’t have to be peeled (except the onions), just thoroughly washed, and cut into large chunk. The stems can be left whole. Garlic is best added near the end, for the last half hour.
- When the broth is ready, strain it through a sieve. If you wish, separate the cooked meat to eat.
- Set the broth aside to cool. The fat on the surface will set firm and be easier to separate it and remove. As there is a chance the fat has oxidized, it is better to discard it.
- Pour the broth itself into jars, freezer bags, or containers of your choice.
- The broth can stand in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or up to six months in the freezer.