LUSTROUS HAIR;TRY CAMEL URINE

For those of you who are acquainted with me on a personal level will know that I love 'the ships of the desert'. At least once a month I go out with my Saudi friends to the desert to ride camels. Saudis in general love their camels too and they take much pride in looking after their camel herds.In Saudi Arabia camels are utilized for their meat, milk, wool and of course for camel racing. Many Saudi families also have camels as pets.In rural Africa, in areas like Mali and Djibouti,camels are still utilized to transport blocks of salt from the desert.

According to the Huffington Post, camel milk is the closest you can get to a human mother's milk, with ten times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk. I was quite surprised when I seen camel milk for the first time. It is very thick and frothy and from a distance it looks like thick fresh cream. Camel milk has numerous medicinal properties and health benefits.Low fat camel milk not only contains healthy vitamins and minerals but is also a rich source of insulin. The milk reportedly has a quart of insulin in each liter, making it a potential treatment option for diabetics.There are also claims that the milk can be used to treat crohn's disease, autism, improve male virility and also treat a variety of allergies.Camel yoghurt is also manufactured from the milk and camel milk chocolates are also produced by a company called Al Nassma. From a beauty perspective, camel milk is believed to treat a variety of skin conditions thereby improving skin tone and reducing wrinkles. I have a patient of mine who is in her mid forties. I always compliment her on her flawless skin tone. Her secret believe it or not is a few drops of camel milk and camel urine mixed with a little bit of aqueous cream. She told me that this mixture keeps her skin germ free and also gives her a lighter skin complexion. I guess this recipe will be able to rival 'fair and lovely'. She has asked me repeatedly to try this concoction for a few skin blemishes I developed after my skin burnt from incorrect dermatological products that were prescribed to me years ago. May be I should give it a try but I am not so sure if I really want camel milk and urine paste smeared on my face.Recently there has been much hype created about camel urine. In a 2009 article published in the Saudi gazette, it was mentioned that Saudi doctor, Faten Abdel-Rahman Khorshid has discovered that nano particles in the camel urine can attack cancer cells with tremendous success.Speaking to the Saudi Gazette, Dr. Khorshid claimed that she was inspired by Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) medical advice and that camel urine consists of natural substances that work to eradicate malignant cells and maintain the number of healthy cells in a cancer patient.“This treatment is not an invention, but rather, taken from our Prophet’s legacy,” she remarked. A Hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari (2855) and Muslim (1671) claims that some people came to Madina and fell ill with bloated abdomens. The Prophet (pbuh) told them to combine the milk and urine of a camel and drink that, after which they recovered. A swollen abdomen may indicate edema, liver disease or cancer."

During the reign of Cleopatra, Egyptian and Arab women dipped their hair into camel urine to produce sleek and shiny hair. This practice is still carried out in today's times amongst Bedouin women with the belief that camel urine is efficacious against dandruff and other diseases of the scalp. It is also claimed that camel urine promotes hair growth thereby producing thicker, longer, stronger, and a more lighter lustrous looking crop of hair.Camel urine is also said to be an excellent potassium sparing diuretic. Whilst watching a documentary on travel channel a few days ago, I was quite amazed at the fact that the Samburu people of Kenya who are closely related to the Masaai people, drink cow and camel blood to survive. Meat is only eaten on very rare occasions.

It is only in recent times that many studies have been conducted on camel milk and camel urine. It is in general a very new field of study that many Saudi scientists have now undertaken to pursue.Already in India, Russia and Kazakhstan, patients are prescribed camel milk to treat a variety of diseases like, Diabetes, Crohn's disease and tuberculosis. With only minimal studies carried out thus far the possibilities are of course endless. By simply marveling at the sheer beauty of these animals and pondering over the variety of ways in which these animals are a benefit to mankind, I can not help but realize that this is the reason perhaps why God Almighty specifically mentions these creatures in the holy Quraan."Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made? And at the Sky, how it is raised high? And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm? And at the Earth, how it is spread out? Therefore do you give admonition, for you are one to admonish." Quran-Al-Kareem: Surat al-Ghashiya ~ 17-21

Source:

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009071143333

http://www.livestrong.com/article/409153-health-benefits-of-drinking-camel-milk/

http://goafrica.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1%2FXJ&zTi=1&sdn=goafrica&cdn=travel&tm=4833&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_p531.60.342.ip_&tt=29&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.al-nasma.com%2F

http://cougarclause.com/2012/02/strange-beauty/

http://hadhramouts.blogspot.com/2010/07/of-camel-urine-and-milk.html

The Amazing Camel Souq

Whilst at the women's day function with best friend Mr. F, brother Faris informed me that he would be visiting the camel souq with Paul and Mo on Friday afternoon immediately after the midday prayers. As mom had just arrived in the Kingdom a few days ago I thought that it would be an excellent opportunity for mom to experience Saudi culture first hand. Brother Faris agreed to mom and I hopping along with them. Immediately after the midday prayers on Friday, Mom and I made our way to the bus stop. Brother Faris was on time to pick us up and we made our way happily to the camel souq.The souq is located on the Dammam Road, heading east out of Riyadh.A huge area of around five kilometers square is home to the largest collection of camels in the Middle East and is a market that has probably stood the test of time with very little changes over the last few hundred years.

As soon as we arrived at the souq, we instantly fell in love with the baby camels. The souq is guaranteed to bring out the 'aaaahhh' factor in almost anyone.Brother Faris frequents the camel souq quite often and hence he was well acquainted with many of the camel owners. There was a group of Saudi gentlemen who reside in the city but visit the souq on a weekly basis to spend time with their camels. They invited us to join their gathering. They offered us Arabic coffee (qahwa) and dates. One of the gentleman asked his Bangladeshi employee to milk one of the female camels. He wanted us to taste camel milk and then went on to explain the benefits of camel milk.Camel milk is supposedly more nutritious than cow milk. According to the Huffington Post, camel milk has been utilized medicinally for centuries by nomadic people. It is apparently the closest to a human mother's milk and contains 10 times more iron and   three times more vitamin C than cow's milk. At the beginning of 2011, a group of Arab researchers announced that they have made a scientific breakthrough by developing a medical formula for treating cancer using camel's milk and urine. I was quite surprised that camel milk is quite frothy and thick. From a distance it looks like thick fresh cream. If you ever travel through the desert and pass by Bedouin people,make sure you do try the camel milk that they will offer you. Camel milk is also available in most Saudi supermarkets.Most camels within the Kingdom are female. They are reared for their milk in dairy herds.The male camel is usually reared for camel racing and those that are not strong enough to race any more are usually culled. Many camels found at the enclosures within the souq are also kept as pets by Saudis.The normal life span of a camel is 40 years, though a working camel retires from active duty at 25.

Whilst wandering throughout the souq I realized that camels come in various different shades. We seen white camels, black camels and of course the usual tan coloured camels. Mom and I could not get over their sheer beauty. Their faces were so adorable along with their striking eyes. Camels are graced with a double layer of eyelashes to prevent dust and sand from making its way into their eyes.Thick bushy eyebrows shield a camel’s eyes from the desert sun; and when the camel places its foot on the ground its broad, flat, leathery pads with two toes on each foot prevent it from sinking into the sand.

Camels are also extremely sensitive animals. We witnessed a female camel running behind a van.Inside the van there was a small newly born baby camel. The owner was moving the baby camel to another enclosure temporarily. The mother camel was however distressed and as we witnessed her running down the road we sympathized for her and felt her pain. Branding marks or 'wusum' is often applied to the neck, legs or rump of the camel which shows ownership of the animal.As we made our way throughout the souq by foot, we eventually stumbled upon a souvenir shop that contained many bedouin type arts and crafts. After browsing through the shop and buying a few items we then headed to the desert where Brother Faris arranged a camel ride for all of us.The weather was ideal. It was cloudy and overcast with slight drizzles in between. Mo and Paul were such fun company. They kept mom and I entertained throughout the day. It was certainly an afternoon and an experience that I will cherish forever.

How do I get to the camel souq?

Continue along the Dammam Road for approximately 10 kms, whence you will see endless camel enclosures on your left. Come off at the next exit, following signs for Thumamah, and the camel souq is on the left hand side of the road. 

Another way to reach the camel souq is from the airport. Take the eastbound road signposted Private Aviation and drive as far as you can go - past the end of the airport runway, right through the check point, across the junction and when you meet the junction at Janadriyah, turn right - past the BAE Systems Salwa compound and continue straight for  the next 20km. The souq will appear on your right hand side.

Source:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/409153-health-benefits-of-drinking-camel-milk/


http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/35/2011011320110113032337648468ee8de/New-treatment-for-cancer-using-camel%E2%80%99s-milk-urine-.html