Between eating healthy, exercising, taking prescription medications, or supplements, we are continually working toward keeping our health at an optimum level; but how far would you go in search of health and well-being? It is easy to swallow a pill or indulge in a massage in the name of health, but there are some exceptionally peculiar things people eat all over the world to cure or alleviate their health problems.
- Live Fish
Have you ever eaten an animal while its heart was still beating? Would you ever consider trying this concept if it could help cure asthma? In Hyderabad, India, they have adopted a practice every year in June, where people flock to the town to ingest a small, squirming, live fish stuffed with a yellow paste that is said to treat and even cure asthma. The family that offers this treatment claims that as these tiny fish squirm and wiggle their way down to your stomach, they clear your throat. Thankfully, this strange remedy for asthma is administered entirely free of charge, but there is a catch. Locals recommend that you eat the fish each year for 3 to 5 years to see results. So if you are ever at the end of your rope and looking to cure your asthma, maybe you should start taking a yearly trip to India but be warned, you may never look at your pet goldfish the same after this experience.
2. Crickets
Is eating live animals not quite your cup of tea? What about eating dead or ground-up bugs? For years it has been culturally accepted worldwide to eat both live and dead bugs, and the U.S. is very slowly starting to adopt this practice. The act of eating bugs for nutritional value is called entomophagy. Eating Insects is becoming more and more popular as an alternative protein source and as well as a way to benefit the environment. It requires far fewer resources to house and raise crickets or other insects than to raise other livestock, resulting in fewer greenhouse gasses. The simplest way to ease yourself into trying this healthy alternative protein source is by just eating a bag of chips—a pack of chips made with ground-up cricket powder that is. Eat Chirps is one company that gained popularity in 2014 once aired on the show Shark Tank by using a cricket protein powder. Using crickets as a sustainable protein source is incredibly valuable in lesser developed countries where it is hard to find a constant protein source. The one thing to be cautious about if you decide to consume these little noise-making creatures is that if you are allergic to shellfish, consuming crickets and other insects could also cause the same allergic reactions. Next time you grab that protein shake to bulk up, consider using cricket powder as an alternative protein to reach your health goals.
3. Pearls
For centuries, pearls have had a reputation as the sea’s precious and mysterious gems coveted for their simplistic beauty. Pearls have been said to date back to 2206 B.C. These priceless family jewels are usually passed down from generation to generation. More recently discovered, the pearl not only helps accentuate your beauty, but you can consume it for beauty benefits. However, you can’t just start crunching down on your grandma’s pearls. The pearl is first ground up into a fine powder before being ingested to receive all of the nutritional benefits.
Pearls are packed full of amino acids that can help give your skin that fresh glow. Research has even determined that pearl powder can aid in healing multiple skin conditions and building collagen. In China and Taiwan, pearl powder is used as a traditional medicine for beauty and is known for improving a fetus’ skin if a pregnant woman ingests the powder. Before you go grounding up your precious heirloom pearls searching for flawless skin, you can easily browse Amazon.com, where several different distributors are now selling the pearl powder.
4. Mamajuana
No, no, not marijuana; Mamajuana. If you have ever taken a vacation to the gorgeous country of the Dominican Republic, you have probably been greeted by a smiling face handing you a shot of Mamajuana at one point or another. This alcoholic beverage is a popular option for tourist consumption and is also viewed by the locals as a “cure-all” and a staple in medicine cupboards. Before this drink rose in popularity with tourists, the uses for this magical restorative beverage dated back to over 800 years ago.
Everyone on the island typically makes a batch of Mamajuana differently. Mamajuana’s main ingredients include sticks, leaves, roots, rum, red wine, and sometimes honey and herbs. If you are lucky, you may even get a bottle that contains the super-secret special ingredient, turtle penis. The locals believe that Mamajuana is a cure-all and use it for problems ranging from back pain to upset stomach. However, Mamajuana is most well-known for being an aphrodisiac. Many even compare this drink to having the same effects as Viagra, and the locals like to joke with tourists about the “baby maker” beverage. Next time you are in the Dominican Republic, be careful of what you drink, because you may end up coming home with a souvenir that you will end up taking care of for the rest of your life.
5. Coca Leaves
Although most people attribute coca leaves to the narcotic drug known as cocaine, in South America, the coca leaf in its pure form is completely safe to ingest and even used to help with altitude sickness. Although the coca plant is commonly found in the Andes mountains and areas of the Amazon in South America, the shrubs can be grown in Asia.
Ancient civilizations, including the Incas, used the coca leaves for medical purposes. The coca leaves contain vitamins and minerals, and the act of chewing on the leaves is similar to taking an aspirin or drinking your essential morning cup of java. Besides chewing on the raw leaves, locals like to use the coca leaves to make many different treats, including chewy or hard candies, teas, and even liqueurs. Even in the United States, cocaine was viewed as acceptable and even used in the production of Coca-Cola until 1922 when the drug and leaves were classified as a narcotic, and the import of both cocaine and coca leaves were banned.
6. Birch Bark
If you are ever caught out in the wilderness and unable to find nourishment, now you can turn to the bark of a birch tree. Not only is birch bark able to provide calories in times of need, but it even has high nutritional value because it contains beta carotene, potassium, minerals, phosphorus, and calcium. The birch bark’s inner parts can be ground and made into flour, noodles, or just eaten raw.
You can also brew birch bark into a strong tea, and the effects are said to be as strong as aspirin being able to take away a headache. If you are allergic to aspirin, proceed with caution because of the similarities between aspirin and birch bark, you may also have a bad reaction to the bark. Maybe on your next camping trip during your morning hangover from too many beers around the campfire, you can mix up some birch bark tea to take care of that headache!
7. Donkey Hide
More commonly known in China as Ejiao, Donkey-hide gelatin is made by boiling the donkey-hide to create gelatin, which is then used in making the final product of Ejiao that people sell in various forms.
Locals in China initially used Ejiao for treating dizziness, dry cough, or anemia in women. Ejiao has grown in popularity, claiming to heal many different illnesses from alleviating chemotherapy side effects to even slowing down aging or menstruation relief. Unfortunately, these donkey hides’ soaring demands have now caused an enormous reduction in the donkey population, increases in donkey abductions from farms, and multiple animal welfare issues.
Sadly enough, China isn’t the only country that is using donkey-hide for its hidden benefits. You could also be eating donkey-hide or even using it in your daily beauty routine without even knowing it! You can find the Ejiao gelatin in teas, candies, beauty products, or energy drinks sold in herb and vitamin, or acupuncture stores. If you have never read product labels before, maybe now is the time to start to make sure some of your beloved products don’t contain ingredients such as “donkey-glue” or “donkey-hide.”
8. Baby Mice Wine
Yes, you read that correctly; Not rice wine, but mice wine. As in, those pesky little creatures that sometimes invade your home that you have to set a spring trap with some cheese to catch them. However, not just any mouse will work for this wine, which is said to have healing properties. Specifically, baby mice ranging anywhere from firstborn to 72 hours old whose hearts are still beating, are submerged into a wine base and left to ferment to make this not so delicious beverage. The wine is said to taste similar to gasoline. Maybe this is because the baby mice are left to ferment in the bottle for up to a year or more before the beverage is served. Once the drink is ready for consumption, you can chug it down to help with your liver disease symptoms or asthma.
9. Pangolin Scales
Many people may not know about this adorable small creature that looks like a cross between an armadillo and an anteater. Still, the benefits of eating the scales and blood of this animal and its rare meat have become so popular that the pangolin is now the most trafficked mammal in the world. There are eight known species of this mammal that predominantly live throughout Africa and Asia.
A pangolin’s scales can either be pulverized into powder and mixed with herbs, or roasted and cooked to treat issues ranging from rheumatism, abdominal masses, coma, cancer, to possessed women, and crying and nervous babies. In Africa, besides the pangolin scales, all parts of the animals are used in traditional medicine, including the eyes, bones, tail, and thorax. In some African areas, the animal’s blood is also said to have the same properties as an aphrodisiac. Although today the Pangolin trade is illegal, business is still booming on the black market. But hey, if scouring the black market and eating ground-up animal scales will cure your possessed friend, then maybe it is worth it.
10. Human Feces
What if you have a medical problem where you have exhausted absolutely all of your options using medical treatments, consuming herbs, liquids, or even animals, and nothing works; what’s next? What about human feces? In the last decade, fecal transplants have become more prevalent in treating different gut disorders, including colitis. A fecal transplant procedure involves obtaining a healthy fecal sample from a donor and then transferring that fecal sample to a patient through a colonoscopy. The new bacteria will enter the patient’s body to balance out good gut bacteria, rather than killing it off.
Springing off from this idea was the proposition that the same bacteria from fecal matter could even potentially reverse obesity. One company called Open Biome is a stool bank that collects stool samples and then processes those samples for patients to use to balance gut bacteria either through a colonoscopy or pills that you swallow. Once a lab technician obtains a fecal sample, they gather the bacteria from the sample, and the actual fecal matter is filtered out. Therefore, by taking these pills, you are not genuinely ingesting poop; you are just ingesting the bacteria that came from it. For some who suffer from constant diarrhea, this groundbreaking discovery can be a lifesaver with a success rate in 85 percent of patients compared to the success rate of 20 to 30 percent with only using antibiotics. And you thought the pills you take now taste like crap.
Interesting read. I had heard of coca and pangolins but no idea about most of the others.