[Effects of Swallow’s Nest] 3 Reasons Why Exquisite Yang Guifei Chose Swallow’s Nest

Dec 03, 2023KimSunhyo

[Effects of Swallow’s Nest] 3 Reasons Why

Exquisite Yang Guifei Chose Swallow’s Nest

Swallow’s Nest

What is Swallow’s Nest that Yang Guifei Chose?

This content is health information about ingredients and not directly related to a specific product.

Effects of Swallow’s Nest

1. Improves skin photoaging, wounds and inflammation
2. Improves bone strength and skin aging in postmenopausal women
3. Boost immunity

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

Regardless of age or gender, the desire for beauty never goes away. Today I would like to introduce ‘Swallow’s nest’, which has been considered a luxury beauty material since very long time ago.

A swallow's nest is a nest made by swallows in caves or cliffs by mixing seaweed and fish bones with saliva. It is a very difficult material to collect as well as to prepare. Therefore, it was used as a soup dish by the Chinese emperor, and Yang Guifei and Empress Dowager Cixi are also known to have enjoyed it.

In < Library of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences>, swallow's nest is described as 'replenishing energy', and in , it is described as 'a food that purifies the skin.' Now let’s look at the efficacy of swallow’s nest revealed through research papers.

1. Improves Skin Photoaging, Wounds and Inflammation

The traces of time appearing on the face do not seem to be pleasing to anyone. However, there are different types of skin aging. There is ‘intrinsic aging’, which is a natural type of aging that cannot be reversed, and ‘extrinsic aging’, which occurs due to an external cause such as sunlight. Sunlight is known to be the main cause of destroying skin collagen.

In 2020, the results of a study on the benefits of swallow's nest extract, a substance extracted from petrel's nest, on human skin were published.

"These results indicate that EBN (edible swallow's nest) can improve skin photoaging caused by UVB (a type of ultraviolet ray) and wounds and inflammation caused by NF‑α/IFN‑γ, producing a rapid healing effect. do."

Reference : Hwang Eunson, Park Sul Woong, Yang Jung-Eun (2020). Anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing activities of edible swallow's nest in human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts, Pharmacognosy Magazine, 16(69):336-342.

2. Improves Bone Strength and Skin Aging in Postmenopausal Women

Aging is inevitable for both men and women, but women in particular experience rapid physical changes after menopause. When the balance of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted, people experience extreme mood changes and vasomotor disorders accompanied by excitement, flushing, and insomnia may also appear. Additionally, the secretion of female hormones, which play a role in protecting bones, decreases, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.

A 2012 paper reviewing the medical properties of swallow's nest extract found that swallow's nest extract also has benefits for postmenopausal women.

“This proves that edible swallow’s nest can be used to improve bone strength and skin aging in postmenopausal women.”

Reference : Fucui Ma, Daicheng Liu (2012). Sketch of the edible bird's nest and its important bioactivities, Food Research International, 48(2):559-567.

3. Boost Immunity

It is also known that swallow's nest contains a variety of sialic acid, various amino acids, glycoproteins, and minerals, and has immune-boosting functions.

A paper published in Trends in Food Science & Technology in 2021 reviewed the various benefits of swallow's nest as a potential functional food and reported the following regarding its effects on immune function:

“ESN (edible swallow's nest) contains sialic acid, which plays a role in mediating the immune system. (omitted) In essence, the presence of sialic acid helps limit and prevent the movement of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms. Serine, valine, tyrosine, and isoleucine contained in ESN (edible swallow's nest) also contribute to enhancing immunity through the production of immunoglobulins and antibodies.”

Reference : Tan Hui Yan, Abdul Salam Babji, Seng Joe Lim, Shahrul Razid Sarbini (2021). A Systematic Review of Edible Swiftlet's Nest (ESN): Nutritional bioactive compounds, health benefits as functional food, and recent development as bioactive ESN glycopeptide hydrolysate, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 115:117-132.

We learned about swallow's nest, which has gone beyond being a Chinese beauty ingredient in the past and is widely studied today for its nutritional value. As a sudden cold weather is predicted starting this week, we hope you will be more careful about taking care of your health.

I hope you have a healthy day both physically and mentally. This was Jinny.

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