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Edible bird's nest

Supplement animal-derived skin & hairgeneral nutrition
Aka: yan wo, swiftlet nest
Brands seen in Singapore: Eu Yan Sang, New Moon, Flying Wheel, Kinohimitsu, Brand's
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Traditional tonic · human evidence is preliminary
When to take
No trial-based timing · studies are cell and animal work
Take with
Usually a sweetened ready-to-drink bottle in Singapore
Pros & cons
Pros
  • The 2021 review cites reports of better skin texture
  • Protein, sialic acid and minerals are well described
Cons
  • A documented cause of anaphylaxis in asian children
  • Adulteration reported: bleaching, egg white, pork skin
  • No effective dose established in people
Sources
  1. Edible Bird's Nest: The Functional Values of the Prized Animal-Based Bioproduct From Southeast Asia – A Review (Lee et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology 2021) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “There were only works done for in vitro and in vivo testing using the whole EBN extract … due to insufficient scientific findings and reports, EBN could only regarded as food or at most remedy food”
  2. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — conclusion on the state of the evidence · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “the biological effects of EBN are still little explored as the available studies are very much preliminary and have been carried out on limited targets without any emphasis on in vivo studies”
  3. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — no established medicinal use or dose · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “EBN … has never been used as a medicine to cure or treat the sickness. This is simply due to the lack of study on the drug development and effective dose”
  4. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — reported effects on skin and ageing · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Although the efficacy of EBN extracts in maintaining youthfulness and increasing physical strength have yet to be tested, but there is scientific evidence on EBN supplementation indicating that it could improve skin texture and alleviate the aging processes”
  5. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — composition · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “the average protein content in EBN is ranging from 50 to 55% of the dried weight … The main carbohydrates present in EBN is sialic acid”
  6. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — allergic reactions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Allergic issues like skin rash, nasal obstruction and facial swelling have been reported in Japan after 5 min of consumption of EBN-contained dessert … some severe cases might cause death”
  7. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — food-induced anaphylaxis in Singapore children · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “One similar case was reported by National University of Singapore which documented that EBN caused food-induced anaphylaxis among the kids … it becomes critical to identify whether a person is allergic … by undergoing a skin prick test before consumption”
  8. Lee et al., Front Pharmacol 2021 — adulteration of retail nests · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “One of the most common adulteration is bleaching so that the bird feathers cannot be seen. Others include addition of fortified materials to gain weight such as egg white, jelly, seaweed or even pork skin”
  9. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list [edible bird's nest / swiftlet nest not listed in Annex A or B]”
  10. HSA — Health Supplements Guidelines (Jan 2026), clause 4.8 and Tables 4–5 (vitamins and minerals limits) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5”
  11. HSA — Health Supplements Guidelines (Jan 2026), clause 3.1 (working definition and dosage forms) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS are presented in dosage forms to be administered in small unit doses such as capsules, softgels, tablets, powders, and liquids. Forms which may be perceived as food or confectionery … would not be appropriate as HS dosage forms”
  12. NTUC FairPrice Singapore — Bird's Nest category (iHerb SG has no matching category; FairPrice used per the schema's Watsons/Guardian-style fallback) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Eu Yan Sang Classic Bird's Nest Rock Reduced Sugar … New Moon Bird's Nest with White Fungus (Less Sweet) … Flying Wheel Bird's Nest Snow Fungus (Less Sweet) … Kinohimitsu Bird's Nest Beverage — Snow Lotus & Honey … Brand's Bird's Nest - Sugar Free”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.