About Birdnest
What is Birdnest
Medicinal Bird’snest is a time honored ingredient in South/East Asian cooking that has been used for hundreds of years. It tops the list as one of the most expensive animal produced products consumed by Humans. Now mainly grown in man-made farms, originally Birdnest was harvested from caves. Most nests are built by male Swallows in a 35 day period, using large interwoven salivary cement and small amounts of foliage. When finished they resemble a shallow cup stuck to the wall, and come in three colors. Most common are the Yellow and White tones, but there are very rare red colored natural nests. Cave swallows nests are in limited supply and are usually harvested from caves/rock formations. Cave Nests are rarer and contain more foreign materials.
The setting of a natural habitat allows impurities and contaminates. Nests that are harvested from man-made “Nest houses” usually have less impurities and foreign material because of the controlled environment. Also these man-made structures produce a higher volume of nests. About 70%of the world’s supply of Birdnest comes from Indonesia followed by Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Birdnest has been exported to countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Taiwan, and now the U.S
Birdnest History
The verbal history of Bird ’s nest can be traced back over a thousand years (Tang Dynasty 618 - 907). It was originally said to be a health remedy a wise Chinese medical practitioner engineered only for royalty (Emperor, Emperors Family/Court). Over time it was found to have powerful effects on the body/health, and was allowed to be used by all people.
An additional explanation traced back to the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), speaks of an armada being shipwrecked with no supplies. The captain on the verge of madness and starvation boiled the left over empty nests attached to nearby island cliffs. Surprised by the large amount of nourishment and energy, the Captain later offered samples of the nests to the Emperor as a gift. Supposedly this Captain exported the first Bird ’s nest to China.
The most honest account states that the nests were used long before the Tang Dynasty. That account speaks of a Chinese admiral who stumbled upon an island where the natives had been using this as an ancient medicinal practice. He then brought it back to the main land where it made its way in time to the common people.
More recently University of China research professors have found Bird ’s nest to be enriched with Antioxidants, Amino Acids, and Proteins. All of these things are proven to help maintain a healthy life and strong body. This natural remedy has been used by half the world for over hundreds of years, and recently science has advanced enough to prove the results those people have been experiencing. Bird ’s nest validation has succeeded in attaining the attention of the other half of the world