Red Bird’s Nest History

Primarily known as Swallow Nest, Red Bird’s Nest has been consumed by the Chinese people since more than 1500 years ago, firstly discovered during the Tang Dinasty (A.D. 618-907) in China. In the earliest records, it was said that the swallow nests were actually traded for porcelain during that time, and Admiral Cheng Ho returned from South East Asia, bringing back the swallow nest to the Chinese Emperor.

Royal Food for Chinese Emperor

Since then, swallow nest started to gain popularity inside the Chinese royal families, but was only consumed by the Emperor family and officials working in the court due to its limited supply. The ladies also regularly had swallow nest soup to maintain their beauty, and enhance their health.
Because of the scarcity and medicinal benefits, swallow nests were often given as highly prized presents or to represent wealth and power. At the end of Tang Dinasty’s reign, the swallow nest was finally introduced to the public and then has been widely known as the Red Bird’s Nest.

Red Bird’s Nest History

Modern Red Bird’s Nest House

After being open to public, Red Bird’s Nest has been gaining a great popularity. The increasing demand and unpredictable harvest amount from the caves in the village encouraged the invention of new farming techniques. The modern Red Bird’s Nest house is built to protect the swiftlets and nesting farms from natural predators, to increase the population of the swiftlets, and to improve quality consistency.

Medicinal Benefits

The medicinal values have been recorded on several historical records on the Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to medical masterwork, Pen Tsoa Feng Yuan, during the Ming Dinasty (1405-1433 AD) and early Ching Dinasty (1644-1911 AD), there was indication that Red Bird’s Nest can strengthen the lungs and served as an anti-aging medicine. In the book of Ben Jing Feng Yuan by Zhang Lu Cheng in 1659, Red Bird’s Nest can nourish the kidney and lungs, good for general health and stomach. In addition, on Medical Dictionary of China by Xie Guan published in 1921, Red Bird’s Nest can nourish the lungs, balance and invigorate the Qi, enhance appetite, stop the coughing, act as an aphrodisiac and galvanize bone marrow.
Today, Red Bird’s Nest still serves as a highly sought food for its numerous health benefits, and can be widely consumed by elderly, women, men, children, babies, and even pregnant women. Grab a natural and high-quality Red Bird’s Nest in our store