Nutrition · Patient handout
Bone broth: an old remedy for gut, joints, and mood
Collagen is the glue that holds the body together. The word comes from kolla, the Greek for glue, and glue was once made by boiling down the skin and sinews of animals. When we make broth we turn skin, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments into a rich natural gelatin, a food that supports joints, the gut lining, and even the mind.
The science of collagen
Gelatin is the by-product of the breakdown that happens during slow cooking. This connective tissue is made from multiple proteins that form the twisted cables strengthening tendons and ligaments and letting muscle connect to bone. Collagen is the secret to well-oiled, well-cushioned joints. There are as many as 29 distinct types of collagen in animal tissue, but types 1 to 5 are the most common.
Beyond structural support for bone, muscle, and ligament, collagen supports the skin and internal organs, helps skin keep its firmness and elasticity, and builds a barrier against the absorption and spread of pathogens, environmental toxins, and microorganisms. Collagen also plays a role in preventing and treating autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
Exist in animal tissue. Types 1 to 5 are the most common and the ones broth delivers.
Slow-cooked broth supplies the full spread, where even good powders offer only types 1 and 2.
Low and slow keeps the collagen fibres intact so the stock sets to a wobbly gel.
What about cartilage?
Cartilage is our shock absorber, reducing friction between moving parts. It relies on water and amino acids to stay spongy and resilient. This jiggly matrix is built from proteins and sugars called proteoglycans, whose job is to attract and hold water. To preserve cartilage we need the right building blocks: glycine, proline, glutamine, and proteoglycans, all found in bone broth.
Broth or supplements?
Popular supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin are well known for joint complaints, but they are only two of the proteins needed for collagen production. Gelatin powders are denatured collagen, and even the best of them offer only types 1 and 2. A real gelatinous broth delivers the wider spread, plus the minerals.
On bone health, the science is shifting from a narrow focus on calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D toward recognising that minerals and collagen together build strong, flexible bone and help prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis. That is why this old grandmother’s remedy is a sensible, all-round approach for almost everyone.
Gut and digestion
Digestive disorders are now at epidemic levels in the West. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said “all disease starts in the gut”. In the 19th century broth and gelatin were widely prescribed for the convalescing, the weak, and those who could not digest food, because broth begins digestion without the chewing that releases digestive enzymes. They were given for acid reflux and peptic ulcers, because broth modulates stomach acid up or down according to need, and for kidney patients who had to limit meat.
So why go back to broth?
Protects the stomach lining
Well-made broth provides a thick mucus-coated bicarbonate layer that keeps acid from burning the stomach lining.
Feeds the good bacteria
In the small intestine, mucus nourishes good gut bacteria and blocks bad bacteria, a major part of the immune response.
Helps heal leaky gut
Chronic infection depletes mucus-secreting cells and disrupts the bacterial colonies, driving “leaky gut” and inflammation locally and body-wide.
Nourishes the microbiome
The protein sugars in broth feed the bacteria that drive absorption. Broth is a staple of the GAPS, Gut and Psychology, and Body Ecology diets.
Glycine for detox and acid
Glycine helps the liver make glutathione to clear mercury and heavy metals, and it enhances gastric acid secretion. It is the single most important amino acid for children recovering from malnutrition.
Glutamine for the gut wall
Glutamine is the primary fuel for enterocytes, the cells that absorb food and move nutrients into the blood. It curbs the loss of water and electrolytes in diarrhoea and benefits IBS, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s.
And don’t forget the mind
What does bone broth have to do with mental health? Muscle meat, eaten in large amounts in the West, is high in methionine, an amino acid the body needs but which in excess can drive distressing biochemical changes. The answer is not to avoid meat but to eat a little less of it and, when we do, to include the skin, cartilage, and bones, which carry proline, glycine, glutamine, and alanine. These are essential to mental and gut health, immune support, blood-glucose balance, healing, sleep, and skin.
Broth has been used for mental illness since the 12th century and for centuries in Chinese medicine, prized for calming, nourishing, and replenishing. A 2003 Malaysian study of home-made chicken soup found those who took broth had reduced test anxiety. Many people report that a cup of bone broth daily for three months brings a noticeable sense of mental and emotional strength, and surprisingly this comes less from the brain than from the gut.
How to make it
The gel needs to wobble
The broth you want is a gelatinous stock, one that sets to a solid wobbly jelly in the fridge. This comes from collagen fibres, which coagulate as they cool and unwind again when reheated. To get that gel you must use bones with plenty of cartilage.
Which bones
Chicken necks, wings, carcasses, and feet; pork hocks and trotters; beef knuckle bones or oxtail. Trotters are easy to find at most butchers and supermarkets.
Water and heat
Use spring or filtered water, just covering the bones. Keep the heat very low. High heat shreds the collagen fibres so they will not set when cool.
Where to buy
Ask butchers and organic meat stores. Markets are great for the unusual cuts. In Adelaide, a stall in the Central Market near Chinatown sells free-range chicken feet, carcasses, trotters, and hocks.
Basic recipe
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 chicken carcasses
- 1 pig trotter
- 6 chicken feet
- 1 onion
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed, skins left on
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- Cold filtered water
- Optional: 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 1 chilli, 1 chopped apple
Method
- Place everything in a slow cooker with water to the top, or in a boiler covering just the bones.
- Cook on very low heat, covered, for 12 to 24 hours.
- Remove the bones and vegetables, then strain through fine mesh, a nut-milk bag, or cheesecloth. Keep the meat and vegetables for a soup.
- Store in sealed glass jars in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in glass.
Sources
Abbreviated from Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World, Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla T. Daniel PhD, CCN (Grand Central Life & Style, 2014). Selected references:
- Kadler KE, Holmes DF. Collagen fibril formation. Biochem J. 1996; 316:1–11.
- Roughley PJ, Alini M, Antoniou J. The role of proteoglycans in ageing, degeneration and repair of the intervertebral disc. Biochem Soc Trans. 2002; 30(6):869–874.
- Gotthoffer NR. Gelatin in Nutrition and Medicine. 1945; 70–75.
- Wald A, Adibi SA. Stimulation of gastric acid secretion by glycine and related oligopeptides in humans. Am J Physiol. 1982; 242:G86–G88.
- Buchman AL. Glutamine for the gut: mystical properties or an ordinary amino acid? Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 1999; 1(5):417–423.
- Zain AM, Syed Sahil Jamalulail S. Effect of taking chicken essence on stress and cognition of human volunteers. Malays J Nutr. 2003; 9(1):19–29.
- Masterjohn C. Meat, organs, bones and skin: nutrition for mental health. Wise Traditions, Spring 2013; 35.
Frequently asked questions
What are the health benefits of bone broth?
Bone broth is a gelatin-rich stock made by slowly simmering animal bones, skin, cartilage and tendons, and it is a traditional remedy linked with gut, joint and mood support. It provides collagen and the amino acids glycine and glutamine. Glutamine is a primary fuel for the cells lining the gut and has been of interest in conditions like IBS, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, while glycine supports gastric acid and the liver's production of glutathione.
How long should you simmer bone broth?
Bone broth is best simmered gently for around 12 to 24 hours on very low heat. Slow, low cooking draws out the collagen and gelatin, whereas high heat can shred the collagen fibres and give a poorer result. A sign that it has worked is that the cooled broth sets to a wobbly jelly, which reflects its gelatin content. Good bones to use include chicken necks, wings, carcasses and feet, or beef knuckle bones and oxtail.
Why is bone broth good for gut health?
Bone broth supports the gut in a few ways. The glutamine it provides is a primary fuel for enterocytes, the cells lining the intestine, and may help curb water loss in diarrhoea. Glycine supports stomach acid production, and the broth helps feed beneficial bacteria in the small intestine. Because a large share of the body's serotonin is made in the gut, supporting gut healing with broth is also linked, in this traditional view, to steadier mood.
Reviewed by Rohan Smith, BHSc Nutritional Medicine · Elemental Health & Nutrition, Adelaide. Last reviewed 13 June 2026.
Important: This summary is general information, not personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or a treatment protocol. Speak with a qualified practitioner about your individual situation. Book a consultation →