Faith fry
Patients from across the country come to Hyderabad for an unusual therapy using a live fish every year in the summer on the Mrigashirakarthi day. The other three doses are given on the following three nakshatras (constellation moons) in the next 45 days. About 156 years ago, it is believed that a holy man blessed a well in a place called Doodhbowli in Hyderabad. The water of this well was used to make the mixture and passed on as a secret to one Veerrana Gowd. It has been passed down three generations to the current guardian, Shanker Gowd.
A secret herbal recipe is put into the mouth of a 2-2.5 inch river fish called murrel (Channa spp). The fish delivers the medicine to the congested parts and in the process of passing down the throat, its slithering tail and fins clear the throat of phlegm. In case of vegetarians, banana could be used as the carrier for the medicine. The patients are told to follow a strict diet. The family provides the therapy free of cost.
Last year a record 800,000 people gathered at the exhibition grounds in Hyderabad for the treatment. "Till now, there haven't been any cases of side-effects," claims the Gowd family. So every year patients suffering with this disease come with the hope of getting cured forever, whether they do is also a secret.
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