Breast milk is a multi-purpose liquid packed with beneficial nutrients. Not only does it serve as food for babies – or a drink for adults – it can also aid in ways that benefit the rest of the body.
As briefly mentioned above, breast milk can be enjoyed by adults, although, consumption is not advised, states the healthcare media publishing company, MedicineNet.
“Since breast milk is not readily available, some people are turning to online sites to purchase bottled breast milk. However, drinking breast milk is safe only if it is from your partner whom you know well,” explains the above-mentioned healthcare publication. “This is because breast milk is a bodily fluid, and you do not want yourself to be at risk of infectious diseases such as cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or syphilis,” the healthcare publication further notes.
MedicineNet also explains that human breast milk from a milk bank is relatively safe as it is screened for contamination and pasteurised.
Below are five ways adults can use breast milk in their everyday lives. However, it should be noted that not all the uses have medical evidence that has been proven successful.
Helps a sore throat
Donna Murray, a contributor for the publication Verywell Family, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, states that breast milk can be gargled to ease a sore throat.
Relieve itching and stinging
According to Donna, breast milk has been used on the skin to relieve the following:
- Sting and itching of insect bites
- Bee stings
- Chicken pox
- Poison ivy
- Poison oak
- Poison sumac
Immune booster
“If you get sick and drink breast milk, it is believed to boost the immune system and shorten the length and severity of a cold,” Donna briefly explains.
Skin moisturiser
One use of breast milk that has been studied is the liquid being used as a skin moisturiser. A 2019 review under the National Library of Medicine found that breast milk can be used in the treatment of skin problems such as atopic eczema, among others. Donna adds that the liquid can also be used for chapped lips.
Assists with eye problems
The above-mentioned review also shared that breast milk can assist with eye problems. The study observed that the milk was able to preserve corneal epithelial thickness in the dry-eye mouse model. “Epithelial damage, reflected in the punctate scores, decreased over four days of treatment with milk.”
Donna also notes that in some cultures, breast milk was used to treat eye infections and pink eye (conjunctivitis) as well as helping to heal an ear infection.
