diff --git a/Documentation/UserManual/Foxx.md b/Documentation/UserManual/Foxx.md
index c8778d0ff8..58351edbf2 100644
--- a/Documentation/UserManual/Foxx.md
+++ b/Documentation/UserManual/Foxx.md
@@ -170,6 +170,9 @@ This is the complete path as supplied by the user as a String.
 @CLEARPAGE
 @copydetails JSF_foxx_BaseMiddleware_request_body
 
+@CLEARPAGE
+@copydetails JSF_foxx_BaseMiddleware_request_rawBody
+
 @CLEARPAGE
 @copydetails JSF_foxx_BaseMiddleware_request_params
 
diff --git a/js/common/tests/shell-foxx-base-middleware.js b/js/common/tests/shell-foxx-base-middleware.js
index 070dd4306c..e9f8cdd0fd 100644
--- a/js/common/tests/shell-foxx-base-middleware.js
+++ b/js/common/tests/shell-foxx-base-middleware.js
@@ -17,9 +17,15 @@ function BaseMiddlewareSpec () {
     },
 
     testBodyFunctionAddedToRequest: function () {
-      request.requestBody = "test";
+      request.requestBody = JSON.stringify({test: 123});
       baseMiddleware(request, response, options, next);
-      assertEqual(request.body(), "test");
+      assertEqual(request.body(), {test: 123});
+    },
+
+    testRawBodyFunctionAddedToRequest: function () {
+      request.requestBody = JSON.stringify({test: 123});
+      baseMiddleware(request, response, options, next);
+      assertEqual(request.rawBody(), JSON.stringify({test: 123}));
     },
 
     testParamFunctionReturnsUrlParameters: function () {
diff --git a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/foxx/base_middleware.js b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/foxx/base_middleware.js
index 7c138fe5d1..7891c87e29 100644
--- a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/foxx/base_middleware.js
+++ b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/foxx/base_middleware.js
@@ -52,14 +52,28 @@ BaseMiddleware = function () {
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @fn JSF_foxx_BaseMiddleware_request_body
-/// @brief The superfluous `body` function
+/// @brief Get the JSON parsed body of the request
 ///
 /// @FUN{request.body()}
 ///
-/// Get the body of the request
+/// Get the JSON parsed body of the request – if you need the raw version, please
+/// refer to the `rawBody` function.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
       body: function () {
+        return JSON.parse(this.requestBody);
+      },
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @fn JSF_foxx_BaseMiddleware_request_rawBody
+/// @brief Get the raw body of the request
+///
+/// @FUN{request.rawBody()}
+///
+/// The raw request body, not parsed – just a String.
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+      rawBody: function () {
         return this.requestBody;
       },