"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease".
In recognition of the immense importance of this observation, another eminent scientist, Alexis Carrel a Nobel Prize Winner said:
"Unless the doctors of today become the dieticians of tomorrow, the dieticians of today will become the doctors of tomorrow".
Pepper soup is not just an important nourishing food, but also a healing remedy that could be prescribed for preventive and curative purposes.
The traditional, cultural, nutritional and healing values of pepper soups are well known among the various ethnic groups here in Nigeria.
Pepper soups are usually prepared with different types of sea foods such as fresh fish, crabs, shrimps, or with meat like those from poultry - chicken & turkey, or those of beef, mutton and games such as rabbit, etc, and they are flavoured with various hot spices or strongly aromatic herbs such as basil, cayenne (bird pepper), African pepper, ginger, cloves, fennel, onions, garlic, etc.
These spices and the aromatic herbs are known to possess strong carminative and digestive properties due to their high contents of essential oils and because of these properties, when used in preparing pepper soups, they help:
- Stimulate the flow of digestive juices- necessary for good digestion, and the prevention of indigestion, intestinal gas formation and constipation.
- Cleanse the entire digestive tract - they act as effective intestinal antiseptics.
- Stimulate good appetite for food.
(1) Chicken pepper soup
When raised in a natural environment, with feeds devoid of antibiotics and synthetic chemicals, chicken is an excellent source of protein and other nourishing elements that digest easily without placing extra burden on the digestive and the eliminative system.
The protein from chicken is good for the brain, nerve cells and the entire glandular system.
Chicken pepper soup is usually prepared with plenty of fresh ginger, cayenne (bird pepper), onion and basil (i.e. Nchuanwu - in Igbo or Effirin in Yoruba).
When the soup is taken hot immediately after the preparation is an effective female corrective useful in correcting:
- Menstrual irregularity and female infertility when it is associated with hormonal imbalance. Adding thyme or sage to the pepper soup increases the female corrective properties of chicken pepper soup.
- The fatigue and general debility associates with child birth and excessive blood lost.
- Chicken pepper soup with the above ingredients including thyme helps in promoting good appetite for food, clears cold, catarrh and fever. It also helps in cleansing the digestive tract.
- Chicken pepper soup when taken regularly helps in correcting cases of underweight when it is due to poor food assimilation.
- In the book, "Lets" cook it Right (1947), Adelle Davis noted:
"The health of the vital organs may be far better maintained by (eating) carefully chosen proteins..." could be prepared in form of pepper soup will enhance the activity of the human liver.
Dr. Henry C. LU in his book, "Chinese system of food cures (1986) noted that chicken liver: "... acts on the liver and kidneys, is used as a liver and kidney tonic, and also for such symptoms as blurred vision, malnutrition in children, and habitual miscarriage.
(2) Fresh fish pepper soup:
Fresh fish is an important source of high quality protein like all other sea foods, fresh fish is very rich in all the essential body building nutrients which helps in preventing many health problems. For example, fresh fish oil is one of the most important sources of unsaturated fatty acids including Linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, linolenic acid which are collectively termed Essential Fatty Acid, Vitamin F or Omega 3).
Essential fatty acids are absolutely essential to life: for they are needed for the synthesis of important biochemical materials in the body such as the prostaglandin that helps in promoting a healthy interactions among the cells in the body however, they are not manufactures in the body and therefore must be supplied in the diet and fresh fish oil is one of the richest sources.
Deficiency of these unsaturated fatty acid results in the disturbances in the fatty acid metabolism which often manifest as emotional disturbances, irritability depression and increased urge to commit crime or suicide, glandular imbalance and prostate disorders in men lowered immunity.
Fresh fish pepper soup is usually recommended as supplement and remedy for
- Iron deficiency anaemia especially when it is associated with excessive loss of blood.
- General fatigue - both mental and fatigue
- Correcting most female problems including menstrual pain, cramps and irregularity.
- Sprinkling a tea spoonful of raw cayenne pepper on a fish pepper soup before taken it twice daily will help in the gradual healing of peptic ulcer and other problems associated with digestive system such as indigestion heart burn and flatulence.
Initially taking the soup with the uncooked bid pepper (cayenne) will definitely cause some painful sensation to the ulcer patient, just like when iodine is applied on a fresh wound, however, the subsequent intake of fresh fish pepper soup with raw powdered pepper will definitely stop the pair and eventually heal the ulcer.
Using sage and other ingredients to flavour the fish soup will enhance its efficiency in healing any form of internal wound.
Fresh fish pepper soup or other sea food soups prepared with plenty, basil, onion, ginger, etc are highly recommended as healing foods in correcting the deficiency problems seen in mentally backward children.
(3) Mutton and beef pepper soups:
These soups are usually recommended for the underweight and those suffering from diabetes shelltus mainly.
In natural medicine practice, beef is less recommended as a source of body building protein - suice the excessive intake usually generates plenty of toxins that could results in arthritis, pont etc. however, for those who might not want to take the beef directly, the soup alone is often recommended - since the soup only, is a concentrated essence of the beef.
Fatty beef should be completely avoided when preparing beef pepper soup. Fatty meat are very high in cholesterol- which is the causative factor implicated in most cardiovascular diseases, blocked arteries, hypertension, kidney problems etc.
