About Swiftlet

"Recently, some people have gone into the business of breeding swiftlet with old methods. The result is slower growth or even stagnation. If the farming of swiftlets is managed intensively with innovative methods, remarkable production can surely be excepted (Dr. E. Nugroho)" The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within four genera of Aerodamus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and the remaining left in Collocalia. The group contains around thirty species mostly confined to southern Asia and south Pacific islands and north eastern Australia all within the tropical and subtropical regions.

Bird Nest Info

For Centuries, bird nests harvested here formed an important source of supplies to China where it had been and still is a prized delicacy. Bird's Nest is both precious & nourishing. It is the saliva of swallows, containing with elements which can stimulate cell and epidermal growth. If the bird's nest is taken regularly, the skin will be glowing and delicate. Bird's Nest is nourishing, appetizing and also good for our eyes. It is also beneficial to elderly and those who has just recovered from illness. Indonesian Swallow bird's nest is one of the finest quality in the world. There are two kinds of places to develop the swallow bird nest. They are in caves and in old houses with four different types such as White Nest, Red Nest / Blood Nest, Yellow Nest and Orange Nest.

The Types, Textures and Shapes of Bird's Nest

The different products of bird's nests that can be found in the market include the natural whole nest, nest strips, nest pieces, nest threads and the irregular shaped nest cake processed from the nest threads.

The marketed bird's nest are produced by three different swallow species
The Swiftlet : The nest of a swiftlet is constructed entirely by its saliva and is commonly termed a whole nest. Since the swiftlet feeds on different food, the saliva and the nest differ in color, varying from mainly white, yellow, grey and purple. The whole nest gives the best nourishing and replenishing effects to humans. The cooked bird's nest tastes mellow. The Feathered Swallow : This little bird also constructs its nest from saliva & feathers. These nests are of less purity than the whole nest made by the

swiftlet. After disintegration and removal of the feathers and impurities, the nest is molded into the shape of a nest cake. The nest cake comes in beautiful shapes and the colour is mainly white & yellow. The therapeutic value of the nest cake is only second to the whole nest. The nest cake has a good swelling capacity. The feathered swallow is found in caves in Malaysia. It has a sligh tly longer body length than swiftlet. The Grass Swallow : The body of the grass swallow is about 12 cm long. The nest is comprised of saliva & grass. Its purity is second to the nest of the feathered swallow and is the cheapest to purchase. Most of the nest pieces and nest threads sold in the markets are from grass swallows. They are the products after the nest has been disintegrated and the impurities have been removed. The nest of grass swallow is mainly grassy and yellow in color. The swelling capacity is low but the price is reasonable. It is an excellent choice for the beginner.

The Beneficial Effects of Bird's Nest

In the article "Yan Wo Kao" (The investigation on bird's nest) in Monthly Mingpao Vol.231, Prof. Y.C. Kong and Prof. P.S. Kwan (1985) mentioned that in China the consumption of the bird's nest was first documented in the ancient Chinese literature "Hai Yu" (The language of the sea) (Huang, 1536) in the Ming Dynasty. In "Ming Zhong Hai Cuo Shu", Tu (1596) stated that the bird's nest is the food of the rich. However, the medicinal value of the bird's nest was only confirmed by several scholars about hundred years later after a long history of consumption and testing and has been promoted to be a nourishing and replenishing medicine with specific therapeutic effects. The literature of "Ben Cao Bei Yao" (The essential notes of materia medica) (Wang, 1694) and "Ben Cao Feng Yuan" (The medicinal herbs in the wild) (Zhang, 1695) of the Qing dynasty show evidence that the ancient Chinese had belief that the bird's nests did have some therapeutic effects and were used to cure disease. In the years 1757 to 1871, many scholars and experts had discussed in their literatures in details the transformation of the bird's nest from an expensive food to a precious medicine. Prof. Kong further indicated that, according to Chinese literature, the bird's nest does have obvious healing effects to poststage tuberculosis, gastric ulcers and bleeding of the lung. Beside, it can promote growth. The bird's nest also can replenish strength and vital energy, accelerate the recovery from disease /illness, and reinforce immunity. The specific animal proteins in an edible bird's nest have the following three functions : 1. To stimulate the regeneration of cells.

2. To enhance cell-mediated immunity. 3. To enhance the resistance of an individual to X-irradiated damage