Sometimes I guess we should never underestimate a few things just by its name. This donkey is one such being. When you are willing to spend Rs. 50 for a spoonful of Donkey’s milk, I am sure you very well know good reasons for doing so. Lakshmi, the donkey in Bangalore is one money spinner for Krishnappa who is from Kolar, but spends most of his days in Bengaluru selling donkey’s milk to eager parents.
His rate for the product doesn’t deter parents, especially those with newborns, many of whom hold the traditional belief that donkey’s milk builds immunity in children against a range of diseases. And that’s exactly how he markets the milk.
“Donkey’s milk! Good for [curing] asthma, cold, cough. Good for children!” – is what he shouts tempting the residents to buy his donkey’s milk. Sudeep Shetty said, “My brother used to tell me about the benefits of donkey’s milk. It is documented in many books that it builds immunity against diseases in children. There is no regular supply of donkey’s milk so when you get the opportunity to buy it at your doorstep, why not?”
Jayaprakash HM, special officer of dairy sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences, says: “An ass’ milk comes closest to the human milk. It has anti-microbial components such as lysozyme. It is rich in such components and is very good for building immunity.”
However, nutritionist Sheela Krishnaswamy says that nutritional science has no evidence of its benefit.
