What the heck is with the idea that “Essence of Chicken” is a health drink? And what the hell IS “Essence of Chicken”? Is there Essence of Horse? Essence of Hamster? Have comparative studies been done on the benefits of different essences? We got a few gift boxes of these during Vanessa’s pregnancy, and some more as CNY gifts. Yay. I checked it out on Wikipedia, and it looks like a sham.
I was just thinking more or less the same thing over the course of the last few days. While the TV ads have been a great source of mirth, and the name itself is open to much ridicule, I am still curious about any positive health benefits.
A friend of mine up in Linkou has this product as part of his dietary intake.
And it makes one wonder, as it ain’t cheap. 
I don’t know about horse and hamster, but I have seen ads for essence of kangaroo.
…
Reference: Brand’s UK website
Parent company: Cerebos Pacific Limited
Don’t know if its a sham or not but it sure gives me a boost when I’ve been ill. And I swear by it for bad hangovers. Tastes absolutely foul though, there’s no doubt about that. I don’t see anything shamlike in the Wikipedia entry, other than that it does indeed read like an ad by the company, which I suppose is a warning flag. A lot of peer-reviewed studies on it, though.
My hangovers unfortunately do not respond to placebos or psychosomatic effects, btw.
SandBoozer wrote: [quote]And I swear by it for bad hangovers.[/quote]
Cheers mate. I’ve got a friend who would find that info useful.
Chicken juice.
Here’s a study on it: nutriweb.org.my/publications/mjn … 1_art3.pdf . No idea how trustworthy it is.
It’s basically boiled down chicken stock with chinese medecine in it I believe … and SM, a hangover is just lack of fluid in your brain … body … maybe add low blood sugar … so hydrating and eating some sweet stuff will do the same as ‘essence of chicken’ … in essence it’s a scam … but ads can make people believe anything …
No doubt, BP. But when I say “hangover” I mean real hangover – the kind when you can’t even keep plain water in your stomach. I find I can keep chicken juice down no matter how bad I’m feeling.
But yeah, I’m pretty sure its just a massive protein jolt it gives you.
Those studies don’t look very credible.
[quote=“From the Wikipedia site”]BRAND’S was awarded the lnternational Physiological Anthropology Design Award (IPADA) Grand Prize by [color=red]the International Association of Physiological Anthropology[/color] in 2006 for BRAND’S® Essence of Chicken efficacy. The Award Panel has found that BRAND’S Essence of Chicken enhances the mental alertness of consumers. BRAND’S Essence of Chicken is the first functional food-based product to be conferred this award.
IPADA corroborated the findings from the Kyushu University study on BRAND’S, led by Professor Shigeki Watanuki from the Department of Physiological Anthropology. The study examined the mental performance of 24 male undergraduates and found that a single serving of BRAND’S® Essence of Chicken helped reduced stress levels and contributed to a relaxed mood at the same time, leading to better mental concentration and improved short-term memory. In addition, regular consumption of BRAND’S Essence of Chicken over a two-week period showed that it helps to improve immunity and helps to alleviate task-induced stress.[/quote]
I just did a search on the International Association of Physiological Anthropology. It’s not very international - it’s seems to be mostly Japanese. Most of the hits that came up on my google search had to do with Essence of Chicken. Surely the International Association of Physiological Anthropology has other worthwhile projects to research?
Well, there have been studies showing chicken broth is good for colds, so boiled down, overpriced chicken broth should be too.
I’m pretty suspicious of that Wiki page. I bet the company wrote it, so the sources listed aren’t necessarily even real.
On a dare, I tried essence of clam yesterday. Yes, they’ve got that as well, and it comes infused with garlic and ginger. I hate anything to do with seafood and it was terrible.
OK, but does it make you harder and keep you harder longer?