While there may be little scientific evidence to suggest that swallowing murrel fish whole can help cure breathing difficulties, a family from the city of Hyderabad claim the mixture to be an incredible cure based on “the wisdom of the sacred sages of ancient India”.
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It is a program that is attended by thousand only to be force fed raw fish as a cure for asthma. People from different parts of the country lined up at the Exhibition Ground in Hyderabad. The yellow paste is inserted into the mouth of live fish before distributed for swallowing.
The fish which is served as “prasadam” was administered on Wednesday by Members of Bathini Goud family.
The Goud family that administers the traditional treatment in the southern city of Hyderabad says its ancestors received the secret formula from a Hindu saint about 170 years ago.
If taken for three successive years, the medicine is believed to cure asthma.
“I heard it works wonders for asthma patients and I brought my brother along as he has been suffering a lot lately”, Manju V, a resident of East Godavari told The Times of India.
According to reports, over 50,000 fish were sold by the end of the day, at Rs. 15 a piece compared to the last year’s 56,000 people who had come to consume prasadam.
Some groups approached a lower court seeking a ban on the “unscientific” practice, claiming that since the herbal paste contains heavy metals it can cause serious health problems.
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In 2015, 56,000 people took the prasadam. The concept is that when live fish moves, wagging its tail and fins through the throat, it clears all congestion.
