Is donkey milk the next big thing?

Few Nativity scenes come without an ass helping keep the Baby Jesus snug in his manger. But who knew that asses (donkeys) have health benefits too. Asses milk was, of course, hailed as an elixir by the ancients and favoured by Cleopatra for daily bathing but there is now renewed interest in it after Pope Francis revealed he was fed such milk as a baby.

Rich in lactose and low in fat, donkey milk is said by experts to be the closest animal milk to the human variety. The UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation says it has particular nutritional benefits, with a protein profile that may make it more suitable for those allergic to cows milk.

I first learned of the milks growing reputation in a tourist gift shop in Paphos, Cyprus, last month, where bars of donkey milk soap, liqueur, chocolate and cosmetics were on sale. I was particularly intrigued by the assistants account of a Dutch customer who snapped up 15 bars of soap, declaring they were the best relief for his psoriasis. For the past 15 years Ive regularly suffered bouts of itchy, flaky inflamed skin under my beard and eyebrows. I suspect its psoriasis although it has never been properly diagnosed and this year, it has been even more aggressive. I was sceptical about whether donkey milk could help but nonetheless purchased some bars of soap.

I also visited the shops supplier in the picturesque village of Skarinou where Cypruss biggest donkey milk farm is located. Its owner, Pieris Georgiadis, who drinks the milk daily in its unpasteurised form, was frantically busy, the farm shop bustling with health-conscious British, Russian and German tourists, as well as two elderly nuns, buying a weekly supply of fresh milk for their convent.

Dr Photis Papademas, a lecturer in dairy science at the Cyprus University of Technology, has been interviewing people whove been drinking the milk from this farm regularly and says they report remarkable results, especially among children with asthma, eczema and other skin conditions. Donkeys milk contains anti-bacterial enzymes and anti-allergens, he says; scientific research papers on its potential benefits for allergies and skin complaints have multiplied in the past three years. The milk looks promising although as a scientist Im always cautious and we need clinical studies.

Mr Georgiadis mostly supplies the milk in 150 ml bottles that sell for 6 (4.75). He recommends drinking just 60 ml a day, which costs a bit less than a pint of beer. I try a sample. Its reassuringly odourless and looks and tastes like skimmed cows milk, although a tad sweeter. Like humans, donkeys have a single stomach: their monogastric digestive systems mean their milk is very different to that of other multi-stomached ruminants such as cows, whose milk contains a high bacterial load.

British aficionados can buy donkey milk products such as soaps, moisturisers and creams online. These come mainly from a French company supplied by a Swiss-Italian firm that also produces powdered donkey milk formula for babies and children allergic to cow and soy milks. Back home I lather on the donkey milk soap. The itchiness under my beard disappears within an hour. Three weeks on theres no recurrence. The soap seems to help my brothers eczema, too. It benefits may not be proven clinically, but Im a convert and Ill definitely be washing down the pudding this Christmas with a few shots of donkey milk liqueur. It tastes just like Baileys.

http://www.eurolactis.com/en/

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Is donkey milk the next big thing?