Ask Dr Xiang Jun: Bird's Nest - Skincare vs Edible

With reference to Dr Xiang Jun’s Straits Times Interview on In The Nest of Health - Beauty of Bird’s Nest 2023, here are my additional inputs to the topic of Bird’s Nest.


What can Bird’s Nest do for Beauty that Skincare Products Cannot?

 


Bird’s nests have long been promoted as a beauty product that is to be ingested to receive its full range of benefits from moisturizing, whitening, anti-aging, anti-oxidating, tightening to prevention and improvement of sagging skin.







Because it is ingested rather than applied, the qualities, benefits and nutrients of bird’s nest will work on the skin of the whole body.







This is very different from skincare products which are applied on specific skin areas such as the face and hence they can only work on the areas that they are applied on.







In this aspect, effects of bird’s nest are extensive to skin of the whole body while that of skincare products are limited by area of application.







Scientifically in bird’s nest, both macronutrients such as carbohydrates, glycoproteins, micronutrients like calcium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, manganese and iron, glucosamine, sialic acid, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids are naturally present. Other than the full range of benefits as a skin beauty product, these macro- and micro-nutrients in the bird’s nest exude other health promoting benefits such as increasing bone strength, prevention of osteoarthritis, enhanced brain health and cognitive performance, support diabetes management, improve immunity. This is something that skincare products cannot achieve.







According to TCM Compendium of Materia Medica which is the ancient classic text that records all herbs and their properties, it records, “bird’s nest is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, mainly nourishes Lung Yin, clears phlegm and relieves cough, tonifies yet detox, is considered as the holy medicine for all fatigue, weaknesses and any illnesses that arise from Lung weakness”. 据《本草纲目》记载："燕窝甘淡平，大养肺阴，化痰止咳，补而能清，为调理虚劳之圣药，一切病之由于肺虚，而不能肃清下行者，用此皆可治之。

In TCM, Lung governs the skin and hair. Therefore it is through the mechanism of nourishing Lung that bird’s nest is able to bring about good skin and hair and be referred as one of the revered beauty products in TCM herbs.





Lung in TCM has many other functions than just being related to the skin and hair. Lung in TCM also governs breath, circulation, immunity and regulates grief and sadness.





Therefore when bird’s nest is taken, it nourishes Lung which then results in good complexion and hair but also a whole list of other benefits such as smooth breath and circulation, enhanced energy and metabolism, boosted immunity, upliftment of mood, all of which come along with good working moistened nourished Lung.





This is not possible with skincare products which are chemical products that work on the superficial level only and have no benefits for internal organs. Hence other complimentary health benefits that bird’s nest can bring about are unfounded in skincare products.





In this aspect, effects of bird’s nest are expansive beyond skin health while that of skincare products are restrictive to only for the skin.





How Often Should It Be Consumed and With What?

 

 

It can be consumed every 2 to 3 days for best absorption by the body and best to keep the amount within not more than 1 raw nest per day (about 3 - 5 grams a day). It can be double boiled with rock sugar or sweet fruit such as Asian pear, red dates or goji berries.

 

 

What Should People Know Before Consuming Bird’s Nest?

 



Take time to find high quality and authentic bird’s nest

 



This is because bird’s nest is one of the most expensive herbal tonics and the market has many imitators that sell fake bird’s nest or bird’s nest that have been artificially altered in appearance to make them seem to be of a rarer and high quality nest than it is. Some unethical practices such as bleaching the bird’s nest may be practiced.

 



Preparation of bird’s nest requires time, effort and attention to detail

 



The cleaning process of the bird’s nest can be tedious with the long soaking and removal of pinfeathers and foreign particles. Bird’s nest cannot be simply microwaved or boiled in a pot over a stove but has to be double boiled to prevent overcooking and retain most of the nutrients.

 



Is Bird’s Nest Suitable for Everyone?

 



Everyone except:

 



·       People who are in the midst of a flu or people with a lot of phlegm in their throats or chest are not recommended to take bird’s nest as the nourishing property of bird’s nest can ‘trap’ and prolong the flu for the former while the moistening property of bird’s nest can increase the dampness which may cause more phlegm to form.

 



·       Young children should consume bird’s nest sparingly as it is one of the most common causes of food-induced anaphylaxis in children whereby this severe allergic reaction can cause breathing difficulties, dizziness and hives on its onset.

 



Topical Skincare Bird’s Nest. Does It Work? How Does It Compare to Edible Bird’s Nest?

 



① Limit benefits to only skin and area of application





Topical bird’s nest is when edible bird’s nest is included into skincare products and used by application on skin areas. Sometimes essences of edible bird’s nest in the form of its vitamins, minerals and other nutrients may be extracted through technology methods and then included into skincare products.

 



Yes it does work in achieving the skin health results that are desired but again, that means a person can only attain one part of the wide range of health benefits that edible bird’s nest possesses and also it can only benefit the area of application of the skincare product as mentioned above.

 



② Extraction effectiveness lacks the human factor as compared to whole





For herbs and natural products, science has discovered the useful components that can benefit the human body, which makes it easy to extract these components and then include into any skincare products. Most topical skincare products that include herbs are usually created in this way. Using extractions of herbs for creating skincare products are also necessary for better absorption through the skin.

 



However, in nature, every herb has a life force energy in them which cannot be extracted by technology but can only exist and take effect on the human body when the herb is used whole. In TCM, every herb has different nature, taste, flavor, connections and affinity to the body meridians and energy channels which make them work and benefit in relations to the whole body. The life force energy, nature, taste, flavor, meridian affinity are exactly what make whole herbs highly effective on human body, which is also a part of nature. This is what I called ‘using nature to help nature’.

Technological extractions of macro and micronutrients of the herb are void of such whole herb properties. What we get from extractions are comparable to just aggregations of laboratory cells and molecules, there is no real life force energy that can interact and affect the life force energy of the human body.

 



Hence with topical bird’s nest, there is a lack to the wholeness of effectiveness that edible bird’s nest holds. This is in fact applicable to any other herbal extractions as compared to whole herbs. Extractions and topical simply lack the ‘human factor’.

 



③ Chemical interference within skincare products may lower effectiveness from natural herb like bird’s nest

 



Within all skincare products there will be certain level of chemicals to keep the shelf life of the product.

 



In topical bird’s nest, although the bird’s nest exists as an extraction, it is still considered under the natural component in the skincare product. When chemicals and natural components coexist, natural components are usually interfered by the chemicals through neutralization or negation. This will lead to lowered effectiveness of the entire topical skincare product as compared to simply taking the edible bird’s nest.

 



④ Good skin health encompasses radiance and glow from within which topical cannot achieve

 



Skin is the largest organ in the body. Therefore its state and condition reflect the body’s internal health condition. Having good skin is not just about skin being tight and wrinkle free. Real good skin encompasses the radiance and glow from within. Such radiance and glow reflect how good the internal circulation is and how balanced is the entire body. 

 



This is something that topical application cannot achieve as it simply is working on the superficial level of the skin. 

 



On the other hand, edible bird’s nest has effects on the internal organs and therefore the whole body’s health condition, giving rise to the radiance and glow of the skin that is reflective of the good health attained through taking edible bird’s nest regularly.

 



What Are Some Quality Marker’s of a Bird's Nest?



Transparency


Quality bird’s nest has a semi-transparent or translucent quality.



Fragility


Quality bird’s nest is very fragile and can easily break into small specks, dust-sized pieces.



Shape and Appearance


Boat shaped or cup shaped, fine and firm texture, red, golden or ivory white colour, clean, with minimal feathers or debris.



What is a Common Misconception of Bird's Nest?



The more the better



Bird’s nest is known to be nourishing, especially to the Lung, Kidney and Stomach. However, taking too much Bird’s nest can result in indigestion and formation of phlegm that can present as fatigue, heaviness, even weight gain. Furthermore overconsumption of Bird’s nest will result in the body being unable to absorb that many nutrients in a short period of time.



To get most out of Bird’s nest, it should be consumed over long periods of time and should not be consumed more than once a day.


Any Downsides to Consuming Bird's Nest?



If taken in the right way, frequency and amount, there are no downsides to consuming bird’s nest. Except for the hefty price that you have to pay for getting hold of high quality authentic bird’s nest.

 

Read more about another Yin nourishing herb White Fungus here.

TCM(Traditional Chin Med), TCM Wellness, Basics of TCM, TCM and ScienceXiang Jun LimDr (TCM) Xiang Juntcm, acupuncture, herbs, skincare, edible, bird's nest