Bizarre myths: chicken sweat as a medicine
In Malaysia, they have a medicine called “chicken essence”. It is a well-known cure for less serious ailments, to increase energy levels and for pregnant or nursing women to gain strength. Now here is the myth about this widely used medicine: they say it is made from chicken sweat.
The live chicken is reportedly placed in a very warm place, so that it starts to sweat. The dripping sweat is caught in a container and this should be the substance from which they make Chicken Essence. There are two types of Chicken Essence and the other type is made from the equally delicious fluid of chicken saliva.
True or not?
Answer: not true. Although the traditional way to produce Chicken Essence has some similarities to the above described process, the chicken is in fact just killed, cleaned and plucked. It is then placed above boiling water and steamed – as is customary with many Chinese dishes. Due to the steam, the chicken releases its “essence” and this is what is used for the medicine.
It’s not too surprising if you think how much better a good old cup o’ chicken soup can make you feel during that cold. And basically both things are the same.
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