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Horse Milk: A White Ambrosia

April 14, 2023

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Horse Milk: A White Ambrosia

Some people drink horse milk instead of cow’s milk for its health benefits. Horse milk is beneficial in treating inflammatory diseases, tuberculosis, blood pressure, and even certain types of cancer. For centuries, mare’s milk or ‘saumal’ – the Kazakh word for fresh mare’s milk – has been valued for its healing properties. Today, mare’s milk is used for alleviating tuberculosis, anaemia, diabetes, and inflammatory and skin diseases. Also, koumiss, a fermented mare’s milk product, is rich in a protein that helps regulate blood pressure. The therapeutic effect of the milk is associated with an increase in the number of red and white blood cells.

Mare’s milk is characterised by a large amount of lactose and a reduced fat and casein content: a milk protein which is difficult for human bodies to digest and absorb. Also, when compared to cow’s milk, mare’s milk has a much higher albumin content; albumin is a protein which is far more easily digested and absorbed than casein. When digested, these proteins can help regulate blood pressure and have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.

Mare’s milk has also been found to be a candidate in the treatment of patients with cancer; regular consumption reduced the risk of developing cancer as the casein in mare’s milk was toxic to breast cancer cells.

The composition of mare’s milk is similar to that of human milk and this high similarity makes it attractive in the development of baby food products. In recent years, new allergy-related diseases in children have increased with the World Health Organisation predicting half of the world population to suffer from an allergy by 2025.

The increasing number of allergies in children includes those allergic to cow’s milk. Most children with a severe cow’s milk allergy have been found to able to consume mare’s milk as a substitute.

It’s said to be similar to human milk; it’s a translucent white color and sweeter than cow’s milk. The milk comes from mares or female horses. It’s low in fat and protein and high in lactose. Some have said the milk can help with skin problems.

Some people in Russia and Asia have been drinking mare’s milk for more than 2,500 years. They turn it into a drink called kumis, or fermented mare’s milk. Kumis started off as a drink to help heal many health problems, like digestive issues and tuberculosis, and is said to taste sour, sweet, and bitter.

Interest in mare’s milk is growing in Western Europe and the U.S. because children and adults who are allergic to cow’s milk might be able to drink it.

However, the milk is hard to harvest, as a mare’s baby needs to be by her side in order for her to lactate. After the baby is fed, there isn’t a lot of extra milk to collect. This makes mare’s milk expensive. Also, the EU won’t let mare’s milk producers advertise the health benefits of the drink, because the claims haven’t been confirmed by the European Food Safety Authority.