Enthusiasts say camel milk may be a cure-all
Evidence for health claims is thin, but a Pittsboro woman is pushing for testing.By Sarah Avery
savery@newsobserver.comPosted: Saturday, Mar. 21, 2009
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Millie Hinkle with Clyde, a dromedary camel, at Ferncroft Farms in Wake Forest. She is trying to get camel's milk approved for sale in the United States. CHRIS SEWARD – (RALEIGH) NEWS & OBSERVER PHOTOThere is nothing smooth about a cool glass of camel's milk.
The animals aren't cooperative, milk production is less than stellar and it's illegal to sell across state lines.
Still, proponents, led by Millie Hinkle of Pittsboro, say camel's milk may be an elixir, curing maladies from allergies to autism to diabetes – although the science behind such claims is thin.
The prospect of a cure-all is what inspires Hinkle, a naturopathic physician who read about the health benefits in a magazine three years ago and decided to lead a national drive for approval of camel's milk in the United States. “We have great hope for it,” Hinkle said, noting that regulatory approval would enable producers to conduct scientific studies and give the milk some bona fides.
Everything hinges on a meeting next month in Florida of the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, which has, for 58 years, created uniform standards across state lines for the production and sale of Grade A milk.
And not just cow's milk.
