To most people, a bird nest is a tangle of twigs and leaves designed to hold eggs and newly hatched birds until they are old enough to tip their beaks over the edge and fly away.
This is true, but there is another use for a bird nest: nourishment for the human body.
You wouldn't want to chop up a typical bird nest and serve it for dinner, but there is a special type of nest that can be made into a healing soup that is very good for the body.
This soup protects the body against illness and disease and can boost the immune system dramatically.
It can even be used to improve the complexion and youthfulness of the skin.
It is the nest of the Swiflet bird in Asia that we are talking about here.
This nest is actually produced from within the bird.
They produce very sticky saliva that forms the consistency of a think rope.
The birds weave this saliva into small bowl shaped nests which harden when exposed to the open air.
The result is a small palm-sized nest that can hold their eggs and growing young until they are ready for the world on their own.
These nests have been used for generations by believers of traditional Chinese medicine.
Today, you can find many manufacturers of traditional Chinese medicine products making these nests available to people around the world.
One of the primary uses of bird nests for those in Asia has always been to enhance the health of pregnant women.
It is believed that the nests have the nourishment growing babies need and the immune system support that expectant mothers need to stay healthy.
New mothers will typically continue to take it after having their baby so they can restore their energy and quickly recover from the wounds of childbirth.
This isn't a proven use for bird nest products right now, but there are some cancer patients who believe in the healing powers of it.
Since it is claimed to boost the immune system and regenerate cells, it is believed that it can help cancer patients recover from their illnesses as well.
There isn't any scientific proof of this, but consuming bird nest while fighting off cancer doesn't hurt anything and it just might help! Bird nest can still be used by those who aren't suffering from disease or expecting a baby.
It is believed to enhance the functioning of the organs and deliver natural energy so the motions of life are easier to sustain.
It is also claimed to boost the immune system and help fight off germs that could otherwise lead to inconvenient illness.
While you won't find a lot of scientific evidence that the bird nests of the Swiflet can really do all of this, there are generations of people who swear by it.
Traditional Chinese medicine does work wonders for many people and that gives some credibility to the claims of what bird nest can do for the body.
It turns out a bird nest is good for much more than holding eggs.