Chinese recipe for good life is `bird nest soup’. Wondering yes, it is true, the mysterious medicines from the China Town include this recipe for various medicinal value. However, the modern world has no solid explanation for the benefits of this soup. While the Chinese claim that anti-aging and anti-cancer properties to the ability to improve concentration and raise libido. The nests are that of some special birds known as Swiftlets that are found around live in limestone caves around the Indian Ocean, in South and South East Asia, North Australia and the Pacific Islands. Males primarily build the nests, attaching them to the vertical walls of the caves.

The recipe is rated as one of the five costliest diet in the world and the most sought after too due to its high nutritional value and medicinal properties. The recipe has been used since the last 1200 years say researchers. The high cost is attributed to the laborious and dangerous process that involves from getting the nesta and until it reaches your soup bowl. Approximately, it costs 4,500 dollars per pound.

As per the researchers the soup is rich in proteins, all essential amino acids along with six harmones including testosterone and estradiol . in addition the nests also contain carbohydrates, ash and a small quantity of lipids (naturally occurring molecules that include fats).  Earlier some researchers indicated that the nests contain substances that can stimulate cell division and growth, enhance tissue growth and regeneration, and that it can inhibit influenza infections.

However, there is always a threat that birds’ nests are known to cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. (With inputs from internet-AW AarKay)