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    Want relief from asthma? Fish medicine could be the cure

    Synopsis

    Thousands of asthma patients availed the ‘fish prasadam’ on Monday, a yellow herbal paste tucked inside the mouth of live murrel fishes, which they believe would help cure the disease.

    TNN
    (This story originally appeared in on Jun 09, 2015)
    HYDERABAD: Thousands of asthma patients availed the 'fish prasadam' on Monday, a yellow herbal paste tucked inside the mouth of live murrel fish, which they believe would help cure the disease. While rationalists rubbish this 'miracle cure', the Bathini Goud family, who have carried the family secret for 175 years, maintain that their prasadam offers a ‘100 per cent cure’ for asthma.

    The Gouds say that the live fish travels, wagging its tail and fins, through the throat, negotiates the phelgm congestion and cures patients. Thousands of people began gathering at the exhibition grounds over the weekend to get the first chance to receive the prasadam in the form of a 3-CM long murrel fish.

    Organisers said that they have gathered 3.5 quintals of murrel, an increase of half a quintal compared to last year’s produce. "The amount of medicine we made last year sufficed three lakh people. We are expecting a larger turnout this year which is why we have prepared more," said Harinath Goud, secretary of Bathini-Mrigasira Karthi Fish Prasadam.

    Image article boday


    By 3 pm, there were close to one lakh people thronging the exhibition grounds, waiting to get hold of the coupons for the medicine, police and organisers said. “I have come here all the way from Mumbai, after hearing about it from my neighbours who have tried it earlier. So I decided to administer the medicine for my children and myself,” said V Swathi, a resident of Mumbai, who was on her maiden visit to the city for the medicine.

    Similarly, there were others from Rajasthan, who made their way into the already jam-packed venue for the prasadam. While doctors say that asthma has no permanent cure, thousands from across the country still turn up to swallow the live fish at the Bathini Goud camp despite questions about the effectiveness of the medicine.

    Image article boday


    “I am a retired station master. I overheard two people talk about this medicine. Now I finally found the time to make it to Hyderabad for a taste of the medicine. I had tried various medicines and undertook treatments in numerous super-specialty hospitals. But they weren’t efficient, and that’s what prompted me to come forth and look towards this kind of medicine,” said LD Wera from Odisha.

    This year, the state government has increased its support to help in smooth functioning of the distribution. The water board has set up camps for supplying drinking water to devotees, who have travelled far and wide for the medicine. Police have also established a security cell inside the grounds.

    “There are 1,000 policemen positioned inside the grounds for the night for security purposes. We have also taken support from the city security wing which conducted preliminary bomb checks inside the grounds,” VB Kamalasan Reddy, central zone DCP, told TOI.

    Image article boday

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