Camel Milk and Gastric Ulcers
Can drinking Camel Milk and reconstituted Camel Milk Powder be of benefit in treating Gastric Ulcers? Here’s what we have found from the research so far ...
In 2017, Researchers from the Ji’ning Medical University, China in collaboration with UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur published a paper in Pharmacognosy Magazine, a peer reviewed Journal based in Bangalore. The title of this paper is “Gastroprotective and ulcer healing effects of camel milk and urine in HCl/EtOH, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin), and water-restraint stress-induced ulcers in rats”.
The researchers experimentally induced gastric ulcers in rats (using three different models) and then tested both camel milk and camel urine to determine whether any ulcer inhibiting or healing activity was found. They also tested a standard antiulcer drug, Cimetidine, against the same ulcers. Their findings were:
Ulcer inhibition (% effectiveness)
|
Cimetidine |
Camel Urine |
Camel Milk |
HCl/EtOH model ulcer |
83.7 |
60.5 |
100 |
WRS-induced model |
100 |
100 |
50 |
Indomethacin-induced model |
100 |
33 |
67 |
Ulcer healing (% effectiveness)
|
Cimetidine |
Camel Urine |
Camel Milk |
Indomethacin-induced |
60.5 |
100 |
100 |
In addition, camel milk and urine were able to be used at much higher levels than Cimetidine without toxicity effects.
To conclude, the researchers found that this anti-ulcer activity of camel milk and urine could be attributed to its cytoprotective* mechanism and antioxidant properties and recommended further studies into the exact mechanism of this healing effect and what the key active compounds are.
*Cytoprotection is the process by which chemical compounds provide protection to cells against harmful agents. Gastric cytoprotection treats ulcers by increasing mucosal protection rather than reducing gastric acid.
Now, we at Summer Land Camels do not, under any circumstances, recommend the consumption of camel urine – and why would you when the delicious milk conveys similar benefits. But it is very interesting, from a nutraceutical point of view, to see where the research is leading on this.
Reference: Hu, Z., Chang, X., Pan, Q., Gu, K., & Okechukwu, P. N. (2017). Gastroprotective and Ulcer Healing Effects of Camel Milk and Urine in HCl/EtOH, Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (Indomethacin), and Water-Restraint Stress-induced Ulcer in Rats. Pharmacognosy Magazine, 13(52), 559–565. https://doi.org/10.4103/pm.pm_135_17