People trying unconventional methods for medicine is nothing new, but a woman in China has made headlines after taking an unconventional approach to dealing with chronic pain — and it’s safe to say doctors were not impressed with the results.
The 82-year-old, from Hangzhou in eastern China, had been struggling with severe back pain caused by a herniated disc. After years of discomfort and little relief from treatment, she reportedly turned to a bizarre folk remedy she’d heard could help. The method, she believed, would not only soothe her spine but also balance her internal energy.
The curious ‘cure’ was extreme even by the wildest internet wellness standards. Friends and family said the pensioner had been told that live frogs had medicinal properties that could cleanse the body. Hoping to finally ease her pain, she decided to give it a go.
Some believe live frogs hold healing power, doctors disagree (ANTONY DICKSON/AFP/Getty Images)
That’s when things took a stomach-turning turn. Over two days, she swallowed eight live frogs: three on the first day and another five the next, all in the belief that the creatures would somehow improve her condition.
It didn’t take long before her experiment backfired. The woman soon began suffering from intense abdominal pain and nausea, forcing her family to rush her to the hospital.
Doctors were shocked to learn what she’d done. Scans and tests revealed that her unusual diet had damaged her digestive system and left her with a serious parasitic infection. According to medical staff, she had contracted sparganosis, a disease caused by tapeworm larvae that can develop after consuming raw or live amphibians.
One of the doctors at Zhang’s local hospital in Hangzhou (eastern China) clarified: “Swallowing frogs has damaged the patient’s digestive system and resulted in some parasites being present in her body, including sparganum”.
The incident has since sparked a wider discussion about dangerous traditional remedies still circulating in rural areas. Though many are rooted in old beliefs about natural healing, modern doctors are warning people to stay away from raw animal treatments.
Doctors warned the folk remedy left her dangerously infected (niuniu/Getty Images)
It’s not the first time such a story has surfaced, either. Back in 2015, another woman who had been eating live frogs since childhood had a 10-centimetre parasite removed from the back of her head. Then, in 2018, a mother was recorded feeding her child live tadpoles.
Experts are urging people to think twice before following unverified folk tips from friends or social media. As this case proves, a search for relief can quickly turn into a medical emergency.
The 82-year-old has since been treated and is said to be recovering — though doctors have made it clear that frogs, no matter how lively, are best left outside the medicine cabinet.