Apparently, Some People In India Believe Swallowing Live Fish Can Cure Asthma

Yes, you read that headline right. As bizarre as it may sound, there are apparently some people in India who believe that swallowing live fish can be an effective medicine for asthma. In fact, a crowd of about 100,000 young and old Indians gathered at Hyderabad’s Exhibition Ground to take part of the strange ritual.

This happens every June and the Bathini Goud family administers the “cure” to asthma patients who come to them. They use live fish stuffed with yellow herbal paste, a secret formula of herbs that, according to them, has been passed to their family by a Hindu saint way back in 1845.

In Hyderabad, India’s Exhibition Ground, more than 100,000 people gathered to swallow live fish in the hopes of treating their asthma.

In the video below, you will see Indian kids and adults receiving the odd treatment. As if it wasn’t cringe-worthy enough, it gets even more disgusting as one angry father scolds and spanks his child for refusing the treatment.

Watch the shocking footage here:

The fish are stuffed with a secret yellow paste that, according to the Bathini Goud family, makes the cure effective.

The short video, posted by Ruptly on YouTube, has gained quite a lot of reaction from online viewers. Not surprisingly – it received more dislikes than likes on the said video-sharing site.

Netizens have mixed reactions about the primitive ritual, particularly because of how some children were obviously force-fed.

Jonathan Noel, a YouTube commenter, wrote:

“This is the definition of savage.”

AustralianLeprechaun asked:

“Why so primitive India?”

Meanwhile, squatr0twhat said:

“Forget the fish. This is child abuse.”

Have these guys never heard of conventional asthma medicine? Anyway, what are your thoughts on this outrageous practice, guys? Go chime in on our comment section!