The facts and truth about Donkey milk (Asses' milk)/கழுதை பாலும் அதன் அரிய-அறிய வேண்டிய பயன்களும்

தாய்ப்பால கொடுப்பதே குறைந்து வரும் இந்த காலத்தில் கழுதை பால் கொடுக்குற பழக்கம் இருக்கா னு கேக்குறது சரியா? தப்பா? இந்த கட்டுரையை படிச்சுட்டு முடிவு பண்ணலாமா? 

It was believed that the donkey milk cures ailments in infants. While doctors agree that it has higher protein content than human milk but they are skeptical about its medicinal properties. BBMP joint director (animal husbandry) Pervez Ahmed Piran (also a dairy expert) confirms about the value of donkey's milk. "I am not too sure about the popularity of the milk but it is definitely as good as human milk in terms of composition. Good enough to even be used as a substitute,'' he says. But doctors aren't convinced. "The benefits are not scientifically proven. However, it surely has higher protein content than human milk,''says Dr H Paramesh, paediatric pulmonologist and director, Lakeside Hospital.  People already forgetting and ignoring our ancient practices and media news from daily magazines adds further fuel to their ideas. Just an eg -  http://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=169758 . "We really get donkey milk? I didn't know about it. If it was so good and so ancient a practice, by now almost all paediatricians in the city would have started rearing donkeys. I can't imagine babies being given donkey milk,''says Dr Meenakshi Bharath, gynaecologist.http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-25/bangalore/28261382_1_donkey-milk-human-milk-milk-dealers

I feel really sorry for those called scientific doctors (not just them and all those who don't believe it), because the donkey milk was formerly used for several medicinal purposes. As long ago as 460BC "The father of medicine", Hippocrates (Doctors still obtain pledge in his name - Hippocratic Oath)., prescribed the nectar of the beast of burden (The Donkey milk) can be used for anything from snake bites to nosebleeds (toe to head). 

In our ancient times, it was a normal practise to give few millilitres of donkey milk to the new born babies for better voice and to ease out the problem in throat by increasing the immunity [1]. It reminds a popular saying

'கழுதைப் பாலைக் குடித்ததாம் 

அழுத பிள்ளை சிரித்ததாம்"

It was practised regularly but stopped a decade ago and still in practise to a certain community people (Mudhaliar, Gounder to name a few...) It was normally purchased from 'Vannaan/Dhobi' (the laundry man of a village) who washes the clothes. And still few people are surviving by those useful donkeys, They said donkey milk has excellent healing properties. "Some families have been surviving on the donkey business for generations now. Mr.P Puttaraju says his grandfather started it. Today, he is a key dealer operating across Bangaluru from Malleswaram dobhi ghat. A majority of his customers are from Madiwala, Dasarahalli, Yelahanka, Seshadripuram, Srirampura, Rajajinagar and Cantonment. "Sometimes, I receive calls at 1am asking if there's immediate stock. Once a family landed here at 6am for two consecutive days with a one-day-old baby. They wanted a 5ml dose to increase the baby's appetite. People take the milk to cure stomach upsets, cough, cold, asthma and control seizures,'' he says." [TOI dated 25.10.2010]

As we are more attracted to the technological and materialistic world, the donkey's are now rarely found and our valuable practise of feeding few millilitres of donkey milk to new born babies/ treating severe fever, cough and skin problems turned into bottles of tonic, tablet consumption or simply an injection (artificial immunity) in the name of modern and scietific medicine.!!! 

We do believe in catchy advertisements, scientific evidences and ancient practices proved by research publications that again reinstates our ancient practices but still we don't want to follow our traditional practices nor realized that those practices are not just words from our ancestors but a pure abstracts to lead a healthy life in this complex life system.  

The most voluable uses of Donkey's milk:

1. Alimentary Canal Use: Until early part of 19th century it was used widely as substitution in the absence of the human milk. In Ayurveda it is well thought-out as having delightful properties and is believed to treat all the alimentary canal diseases in infants. This milk has been used in Siddha Ayurveda medication for several decades. Whereas the doctors practicing the modern medicine do have the same judgment that it is very close to Human milk BUT they still dont believe and/or are in little doubtful about its magical properties. Although they do concur it can be a good alternate for mother's milk.

2. Cosmetic Use:  has excellent properties to cure several skin disorders and to keep it healthy. I hope everyone could have heard about the hot and gorgeous woman in the in the history of mankind Cleopatra. Why she comes under the topic donkey milk? any relation? yes, the history says she used to take bath in donkey milk and for that purpose about 700 donkeys were kept grwon in their farm. Well, she wasn't the single one. In reality, the Roman Empress -  the second wife of the Emperor Nero (who was well-known for playing flute while Rome burnt) Poppaea Sabina who was also believed to be very beautiful used donkey's milk plenty for her gorgeousness. It is thought that the donkey's milk makes skin wrinkle free, insubstantial and its luster and whiteness.(Nero- does it has any relation to the CD burning software?? - any idea?)

3. Medicinal use: First one to be familiar with the importance of the Donkey's milk was Hippocrates. He found this milk to be useful in various conditions for example liver diseases, bleeding from nose, a range of fevers and infections, oedema (swellings), and wounds. 

Donkey milk is closet to human milk in concerto and accordingly is very excellent for the infants. Since it doesn't contained any bacteria [2] there is absolutely no need to pasteurise and a simple filter will be enough. It is certainly true our parents used to give the RAW milk for the new born babies.  It is a white, light, sweet milk and it has more protein content and less fat than that of human and cows milk. This milk was and is?! so much in practise mainly in South Indian cities for baby that costs around 100-200 Rupees per 50 ml. 

A donkey only has two teats, rather than a cow's four, and milking only produces about half-a-litre a day per animal - a cow (it means traditional local cows not the hybrids) can produce more than 10 times that. What's more, a donkey can only be milked for about six months after producing a foal, and even then only when the foal is close by!! (It seems that donkey is certainly aware of human's commercial mind) ;)

Therefore we should acknowledge that these limitations mean donkey milk is likely to remain a niche health product. We should not try to substitute cows' milk, it's just an alternative for children who are allergic and ill."

We hesistate and feel bad to give donkey milk to our kids which was in our traditional system. What do we call that? Ignorance or arrogance or non-willingness to learn or pure laziness?. But the westerners    are benefiting and making money out of it. http://www.donkeymilkskincare.com/., http://www.asineriedupaysdescollines.be/EN/Dealers/12 . In europe its sold as one of the very unique child care product mainly imported from Greece and Italy, it costs around 50 Euros (appx.Rs.3200/-) per litre.

இப்ப சொல்லுங்க கழுதைப்பால் கொடுக்கலாமா இல்ல Horlicks/Complan கொடுத்தாலே போதுமா...!!!   

References used and Few literatures to refer the medicinal properties of donkey milk:

Wikipedia

1.Tafaro et al.,Immunological properties of donkey's milk: its potential use in the prevention of atherosclerosis.Curr Pharm Des. 2007;13(36):3711-7.

2.Jirillo et al., Donkey's and goat's milk consumption and benefits to human health with special reference to the inflammatory status. Curr Pharm Des 2010;16(7):859-63.

3.Gastaldi et al.,Donkey's milk detailed lipid composition.Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2010 Jan 1;2:537-46.

Co-incidence or natural touch or science towards old?? - When looking for the recent research papers almost all of the research works were carried out in Italy(Romance land), the Romance played a huge role in spread of donkeys from its native of africa to several countries like Greece, Italy, Egypt, Spain.!!!