The demand for donkey meat has been rising in Andhra Pradesh for the most bizarre reason. Rumours are being spread in Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Telangana that donkey meat can cure asthma and snoring.
There is no medical evidence that proves donkey meat has medicinal values but people are rampantly consuming the meat with the hope that it will give them virility, stamina and strength, reports Deccan Chronicle.
According to some people, donkey meat is openly being sold in the market without any regards for the norms of the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). These instances are mostly seen in Tadepally in Guntur district, Chirala and Bapatla in Prakasam district and Hyderabad and Kurnool. Donkey meat is not even listed as edible meat by the FSSAI.
Doctors speak
Dr Manish Kumar, ENT surgeon at Government Hospital Koti, said, “No meat of any animal can stop snoring. It is an internal problem in the body where the shape of the skeleton and also the underlying conditions like obesity are responsible. There is no truth in the rumours of any meat consumed helping to stop snoring.”
Dr C. Shekar Singh, senior ENT surgeon confirmed that “these are all baseless rumours. There is no medical evidence or any kind of study which says that any food substance can help to combat snoring,” reports Deccan Chronicle.
Donkey hide is being sold to China. The hide can be boiled and made into gelatin which is the key ingredient in a Chinese medicine called ejiao.
Donkey milk has medicinal values
Even though donkey meat has no value, donkey milk has been used as an anti-ageing tonic and various other ailments. The medicinal value of the milk was first heralded by the Greek physician Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who used to prescribe it for various ailments ranging from nose bleeding to snake bite. The milk is believed to cure combat fever, liver problems, joint pain, infectious diseases, nose bleeds and even poisoning, reported Deccan Chronicle.
