Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has been a popular face on television and social media for his ‘alternative’ remedies for health issues. Known for his Patanjali products and Ayurvedic cure to lifestyle issues, Ramdev has amassed a huge following for teaching yoga and promoting Ayurveda.
Ramdev has also found himself in mid of controversies and legal battles for suggesting alternative medicines for curing COVID-19 to misleading advertisements.
A new video has gone viral where Baba Ramdev is seen drinking donkey’s milk and highlighting the benefits of consuming the milk. While people mostly consume cow or buffalo milk or some even consume goat milk, the idea proposed by Ramdev sounded unusual, though not unheard of.
In the video, the yoga guru can be first seen milking a donkey and later drinking the extracted milk. “I am extracting the donkey’s milk for the first time in my life. I have extracted milk from camel, cows, sheep and goats. The milk is super tonic and works as a super cosmetic,” Ramdev said adding that the milk is beneficial for both health and beauty.
After drinking the milk, he remarked that it was “very tasty” and added that although he had consumed the milk of cows, goats, camels, and sheep, the donkey’s milk was exceptional.
The yoga guru went further to elaborate the benefits of the donkey’s milk by saying, “Cleopatra (Egyptian Queen) used to take bath with the (donkey’s) milk.”
He claimed that people with milk allergies can safely drink donkey’s milk. Unlike cow milk, which is sold for Rs 65 per litre, donkey milk is rather expensive, with some reports claiming that it is sold for a staggering Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per litre.
While some studies do suggest certain benefits of donkey milk, the suggestions come with a caution that it should be added to diet only after consulting a medical practiioner.
In India, consumption of donkey milk is not common, though the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) says there is “no safety and toxic concern” on record.
“Lack of Legislation/approval for use of donkey milk as food, social taboo and low milk yield are considered as factors limiting its commercialisation,” the FSSAI notes on its website.