Make Healing Soup With This Herbal Bone Broth

Bone broths are made from animal bones, water, herbs like ginger or thyme, and dandelion root - which all have incredible benefits that any other food type can't match. Learn about the specialty herbs we use to prepare a bone broth that enhances all soups or meals while aiding in digestion and improving gut health.

Our family relies on bone broth as a flavorful way to add rich flavors and essential nutrients to our recipes throughout the week. Herbal bone broth for gut health should become part of your weekly meal prep because it benefits your well-being. Learn why and how to prepare it!

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is not your average store-bought food. It's a homemade, nutritious stock that can be made from boiling animal bones and connective tissue like in soups but also rice dishes, vegetable salads and meat casseroles as well. Making bone soup helps you reduce waste by using otherwise unedible parts of animals to make healthy meals for the whole family! I love cooking with it because I know what went into my dish before eating it - no preservatives or additives necessary!

How does herbal bone broth promote gut health?

I add dandelion and burdock root to my bone broth because they're rich in prebiotic soluble fiber. The best way to extract the most of these benefits from their roots is by simmering or boiling, so I put them into a pot with water and other healthy herbs like ginger for more flavor as well!

When it comes to staying healthy, dandelion and burdock root are like your best friends. So what is this magical duo? Dandelions: rich in prebiotics that support the growth of good bacteria! And Burdocks: these roots extract vital nutrients from other plants when boiled or simmered for a long time. I can't wait to share my recipe with you so we all have something tasty and this nutrient rich on hand at home.

What are the benefits of inulin?

Inulin has been shown to have a range of health benefits. It can help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, fight against bacteria as well as tumors in the body, and promote bone density by increasing calcium absorption and mineral balance - which may result in less fractures or osteoporosis-related complications.

In addition, their antiosteoporotic properties also reduce risks for developing broken bones due to aging-related thinning of the spine's vertebrae. (trusted source)

Other herbs for herbal bone broth for gut health that contain inulin you may have in your apothecary:

• Cichorium intybus (chicory)
• Cynara scolymus (artichoke)
• Echinacea spp (echinacea)
• Inula helenium (elecampane)

Benefits of drinking bone broth

There's no doubt about it- probiotic foods are getting all the attention lately because they're good for our health-- but don't forget those prebiotics which work wonders on healing the gut as well. The best part is, you can add this delicious broth to any meal (even just a simple pasta noodle dish) to add so much flavor and health benefits. Information from this post comes from this trusted source at Pub Med.

A BOOST OF COLLAGEN

Every day we use our joints and bones to do things like walk, run, or just sit. These movements are important for healthy joint and bone health, so many people take collagen supplements to maintain soft tissue structures of their body parts. This organic amino acid, found in the connective tissues such as skin and ligament, are right here on your dinner plate when you use up this herbal both broth. 

NUTIRENTS AND ELECTROLYTES

Bone broth contains many essential nutrients including iron, vitamins A and K, fatty acids like oleic acid that help reduce inflammation, selenium which boosts your immune system to fight off illness-causing bacteria. It also has zinc for eye health or manganese because it helps with mood regulation. Ensure you're getting all the benefits by consuming this tasty broth regularly!

GUT HEALTH

Amino acids naturally present in bone broth may aid digestion. Glutamine helps reduce inflammatory factors and improve our ability to digest food, making it an ideal digestive supplement for those with gut issues such as Crohn's ileitis, ulcerative colitis or other more serious conditions like systemic sclerosis (SSc). Adding inulin rich herbs enhances the effects of glutamic acid by boosting intestinal microflora that promotes a healthy microbiome, reducing inflammation which can lead to stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

In addition to being an excellent dietary source of minerals including calcium & magnesium needed for strong bones + teeth, Dandelion also provides us with vitamins A C F B12 but most importantly is its natural anti-inflammatory properties plus high

How to Make Bone Broth

Making bone broth is actually relatively easy. I always buy a rotisserie chicken for our soups, but you can also roast your own. 

1. Pull the meat off of a roasted chicken. Save the bones and set them aside in a a large pot or Dutch oven. 
2. Top with filtered water until generously covered ( 12 cups / 2880 ml)
3. Next, add in a bit of salt to season the broth (you can add more later)
4. Then add 1-2 tablespoon (15-30ml) apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, which is added primarily as the acidity breaks down the collagen and makes it more abundant in the broth. 
5. Add 2 tablespoons of dandelion root, burdock root, or both.
6. Add vegetable scraps if you have them. I cut up all of the vegetables I plan to use for our soup and reserve the scraps for the broth for flavor.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for at least 8-12 hours or until reduced by ½, leaving you with 6 cups of bone broth. The more it reduces, the more intense the flavor becomes, and the more collagen is extracted. 
8. Add vegetable scraps if you have them.
9. Strain into an airtight container or use to make soup.

Alternatively, you can go to your local butcher to buy beef bones, roast them, and then use them to make broth. I make roast chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken every week, so we prefer chicken bone broth

The recipe

Sourcing your herbs

There are several wonderful, reputable places to buy your herbs. We personally love mountain rose herbs for our family's herbs, spices, teas, and more. 

You will want whole roasted dandelion root and burdock root for your bone broth.

Recipes to add your bone broth to

• Roasted red pepper and marigold soup
• Mom's healing chicken soup

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Healing Bone Broth

5 from 1 vote

Bone broths are made from animal bones, water, herbs like ginger or thyme, and dandelion root - which all have incredible benefits that any other food type can't match. Learn about the specialty herbs we use to prepare a bone broth that enhances all soups or meals while aiding in digestion and improving gut health.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:12 hours hrs

Ingredients

• 1 roasted chicken, bones only
• 12 cups water
• 2 tablespoons dandelion root
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• vegetable scraps

Instructions

• Pull the meat off of a roasted chicken.
• Save the bones and set them aside in a a large pot.
• Top with filtered water until generously covered.
• Next, add in a bit of salt to season the broth.
• Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• Add 2 tablespoons of dandelion root, burdock root, or both.
• Add vegetable scraps if you have them.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
• Cook for at least 8-12 hours or until reduced by ½, leaving you with 6 cups of bone broth.
• Strain into an airtight container or use to make soup.

Notes

Store in an air tight container for up to one week in the refridgerator. 

Pour broth into large ice cube trays and thaw one - two cubes in a large pot as needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.05g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 4mg | Sugar: 0.02g | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.01mg

Course: Herbs

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bone broth, dandelion root, healing soup

Servings: 6

Calories: 1kcal

Author: sarah