Donkey Milk Nourishes People

DONKEY MILK – THE NEW MEDICINE

Research on donkey milks proves it to be one of the effective medicines to cure food allergies and breathing ailments in children. The practice of donkey milk consumption, for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes, dates back to the Egyptian period and can also be spotted in the history of Indian customs.

Newborns, mostly in rural India, were fed with donkey’s milk as the first dose of medicine to ward of all possible ailments. Though paediatricians  advice against feeding anything other than mothers milk to newborns due to the possibilities of infections, they do not deny the nutritional and medicinal benefits of donkey’s milk.  In some parts of India the tribal inhabitants sell donkey milk in the villages. They also mix ayurvedic and herbal medicines in donkey’s milk and is sold at a higher price.

Composition study on donkey milk proves it to be the closest to breast milk with its properties of optimum PH (7.0), high lactose and low fat content. It also proved to have immense nutritional properties. It contains vitamins, like A,B1,B2,C and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, zinc and phosphorous along with immunoglobulins(antibodies).

Based on the proteomic studies( large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions) by various scientific researchers, it has been found that Cow Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA) is the common food allergy in infants, ranging between 2-7.5% of the infant population. Milk Proteins, mainly alpha- and beta – caseins are responsible for the food allergy in babies. In such instances donkey milk is considered to be an alternative.

Donkey milk is said to detoxify liver and thereby balancing the metabolic activities of cells in our body. It helps rejuvenate skin, reduce wrinkles and also helps in treating skin diseases like psoriasis.

Recently there was an interesting news about the Pope Francis presented with the two donkeys, Thea and Noah, as a Christmas present from a Swiss firm, Eurolactis, producing donkey’s milk. The company supplies donkey milk to people who are allergic to other milks and also donates to the hospitals. Farmers claim that though a female donkey can produce only 1.5-2 litres of milk a day, it is a profitable business considering the cost of milk per litre( £19.6 ,₹2000)

The cosmetic use of donkey’s milk is already proven through years.They produce amino acids essential to keep our skin moisturized and help in the production of collagen, elastin and keratin( essential proteins) thereby inducing healthy and wrinkle-free skin.

History also reveals that Cleopatra, Pauline Bonaparte(Napolean’s sister) and Poppaea(the wife of Emperor Nero) bathed in donkey’s milk in order to keep their skin nourished and soft. They also used to transport their ass troupes wherever they travelled.

Many companies already manufacture soaps and skin creams based on donkey’s milk. And now, with the invent of it’s medical use, donkey’s milk would become an inevitable component of all medicines for allergies, skin-care and respiratory ailments as well.

Prabala KP