History Main / SoupIsMedicine

* In the book ''Literature/{{Bear}}'' ''Feels Sick'', Bear's friends make him soup when he becomes sick.
* In the book ''Bear Gets Sick'', Gopher makes broth for Bear when the latter is sick.

* ''Literature/RoysBedoys'': In “Get Well Soon, Roys Bedoys!”, Roys is sick with what appears to be a cold or the flu, so Mrs. Bedoys gives him chicken soup.

* Near the beginning of ''Literature/EllaEnchanted'', Ella and her mother both get sick. Their fairy cook, Mandy, makes them a curing soup, containing hairs from a unicorn's tail. The hairs don't have to be consumed, but they do need to be left in the soup, or else it has no curing power. Ella leaves the hairs in hers, and fully recovers by the next day, but her mother is disgusted by the hairs and picks them out of the soup before eating it. [[spoiler: Result? She dies.]]

This convention varies a little by culture; for example, in the United States, it's usually chicken soup (particularly with Jewish families, leading to the nickname "Jewish penicillin"), with vegetable soup a good substitute for vegetarians; in the United Kingdom, it's often chicken or tomato; and in Japanese works, it's rice porridge (''okayu''). [[note]]While porridge isn't soup technically, it's often dubbed into soup and it's associated for the same reason as soup: it is easy to eat. It's also usually prepared really soupy indeed, with a lot more broth than usual.[[/note]] The trope can also be justified by the soup having magical properties that can [[HyperactiveMetabolism cure the sick character]].

* ''Fanfic/GlowingReflections'': In this ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' Fanfic, Ail-mint gives Enchant-mint soup when he is sick.

** In ''Fanfic/TwinklingInTheDark'', [[Anime/SmilePrecure Wolfrun]] has Joker eat some congee infused with Bad Energy to snap him out of his loopiness.

There is an element of TruthInTelevision to this. Soup is, after all, rather nutritious (obviously necessary when fighting an illness) and the fact that it's mostly liquid (with the solid parts made soft and easy to chew by being cooked in liquid) makes it easier to be consumed and less likely to be vomited afterwards (not to mention easier to clean up if vomiting ''does'' happen). In the case of a sore throat, the heat is soothing too. Since doctors often recommend that people consume lots of fluids while ill, a meal that ''is'' a fluid also helps follow those instructions. In addition to everything else, the PlaceboEffect also applies here; most people agree that soup is good for you, and [[YourMindMakesItReal if you're of the right mind to believe it can make you better, your symptoms will definitely be relieved for a while]]. Needless to say, it's not a coincidence that sales of tinned soup tend to consistently rise around the depths of winter, when not only is it freezing outside, but your odds of catching a common cold is significantly higher.

This convention varies a little by culture; for example, in the United States, it's usually chicken soup (particularly with Jewish families, leading to the nickname "Jewish penicillin"), in the United Kingdom it's often chicken or tomato, and in Japanese works, it's rice porridge (''okayu''). [[note]]While porridge isn't soup technically, it's often dubbed into soup and it's associated for the same reason as soup: it is easy to eat. It's also usually prepared really soupy indeed, with a lot more broth than usual.[[/note]] The trope can also be justified by the soup having magical properties that can [[HyperactiveMetabolism cure the sick character]].

* In ''Fanfic/HealinGoodHostClub'', Tamaki and the twins make soup for a sick Honey.

* In one chapter of the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheOctonauts Octonauts]]'' fanfic ''Fanfic/JuniorOfficers'', Tunip makes kelp soup for a sick Shellington.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' fanfic ''Fanfic/NurseJet'', Jet makes soup for Sean while he has a cold.

* In the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' fanfic ''Fanfic/LetMeWarmYourHeart'', Heike Kagero makes vegetable soup to warm up Narcis Prince, who is suffering from hypothermia.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ThePandaChronicles'', Robaire offers the other 4*Town boys soup while they're sick, which all but Tae-young (stomach flu) accept.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42966075/chapters/109134253 Storytime]]'', Sabrina mentions that if Julieta wasn't ill, she would love to make the other sick family members soup, prompting this exchange:
--> '''Antonio''': Yeah, {Julieta} loves making you soup. She says it's easy to prepare and it makes your tummy fat.\\
'''Bruno (with a chuckle)''': Yup, that sounds like something she'd say.

* Near the beginning of ''Literature/EllaEnchanted'', Ella and her mother both get sick and their fairy cook Mandy makes them soup with magical unicorn hairs in it. Ella eats hers, hairs and all, and fully recovers by the next day, but her mother is disgusted by the hairs and picks them out of the soup before eating it. [[spoiler: Result? She dies.]]

* In ''Film/NannyMcPhee'', the Brown children all start PlayingSick and Nanny Mc Phee's punishment is to act like they're really sick. She tells the chef that the children are sick and the chef replies that the best way to help a sick person recover is a thin gruel with potato peelings in. Nobody likes it.

* The Wiki/SCPFoundation has a bowl that fills with soup whenever someone nearby is sick or hurt. The soup has varying levels of helpfulness and its quality is linked to the eater's relationship with their parents.

There is an element of TruthInTelevision to this. Soup is, after all, rather nutritious (obviously necessary when fighting an illness) and the fact that it's mostly liquid (with the solid parts made soft and easy to chew by being cooked in liquid) makes it easier to be consumed and less likely to be vomited afterwards. In the case of a sore throat, the heat is soothing too. Since doctors often recommend that people consume lots of fluids while ill, a meal that ''is'' a fluid also helps follow those instructions. In addition to everything else, the PlaceboEffect also applies here; most people agree that soup is good for you, and [[YourMindMakesItReal if you're of the right mind to believe it can make you better, your symptoms will definitely be relieved for a while]]. Needless to say, it's not a coincidence that sales of tinned soup tend to consistently rise around the depths of winter, when not only is it freezing outside, but your odds of catching a common cold is significantly higher.

* In one issue of ''ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk'', a de-Hulked Bruce Banner has the flu (and is delighted, because getting sick is a sign that the Hulk is gone). Amadeus Cho is more panicky about it and tries to make his mother's soup recipe and tea simultaneously while muttering about "clear liquids". Then Rick Jones shows up with a six-pack of beer: "Clear liquids, right?"

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' comic story "Bad Medicine", Goslyn makes chicken noodle soup for Darkwing when he comes down with the flu.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode "Scroogerello", Webby tries to give a sick Scrooge some soup, only to trip and spill it all over him.

* Conversed in a fanfic of ''Franchise/TheAddamsFamily''. Lucas notes how in movies, the IllGirl wives always get fed chicken soup.

* One sketch of ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' has two gentlemen bringing soup to their IllGirl love interest to cure her VictorianNovelDisease. This spikes an argument about whether soup or broth has curing effects.

* The SickEpisode page on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki plays on this trope.

** The episode "[[Recap/FraggleRockS3E13TheGreatRadishCaper The Great Radish Caper]]" reveals that Ma Gorg makes hot garlic soup for Junior whenever she thinks he's sick - or sick in the head.

** In "[[Recap/FraggleRockS3E9TheSecretSocietyOfPoohbahs The Secret Society Of Poohbahs]]", Bobber gives Mokey okra soup when the latter pretends to have galloping tongue fever.

** The 1995 TV remake of ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'' adds a new song for [[MyBelovedSmother Mae Peterson]], "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore," and among its guilt-tripping lyrics are the lines "That time you caught the croup, who made you chicken soup?"