Camel's milk is reported to have healing properties, including healing allergies, reducing inflammation, regulating the immune system to decrease auto-immune problems, and increasing the immune system's ability to fight pathogens. Camel's milk does not contain casein, the protein that most people who are allergic to milk react to, so it is often tolerated fine by people with dairy allergy. What really got my attention is that it is said to support the immune system much the way IV/IG (intravenous immunoglobulin) treatment does, something I've been interested in for a long time as a treatment for PANDAS but am not able to afford.
We began by drinking several ounces per day and then slowly increased to 6 oz each per day. We noticed benefits immediately, but the benefits were also dose-dependent so increased as our intake increased. We seemed to keep the improvements when we stopped taking it. It tastes a little salty but has a mild flavor so has been one of the easiest interventions to do as well as one of the most effective. My kids were happy to drink it as "hot chocolate"- I would warm it slightly (not too much to keep it raw), and mix in some carob powder and honey. It is expensive, however, because we get ours shipped frozen from a farmer halfway across the country, otherwise this would be a daily treatment for us.
This is the intervention that put Roo over the line to recovery. We started the camel milk during a several weeks break from an educational program that the kids were doing, and when we came back people were surprised and impressed at the rapid improvements Roo experienced. His language and speech improved dramatically, he was more calm and at ease and socially outgoing, and generally less anxious. People also commented on how healthy I looked, and now that I know how sick I actually was, it makes sense. I think the immune balancing properties are what made such a difference for us.
Here are several general sources of information about camel's milk that I have found helpful:
Camel Milk: Healing or Hype? From Julie Matthews' site Nourishing Hope
Got (Camel) Milk? Is an article that appeared in The Autism File magazine
Camel Milk for Health
Handbook of Research on Health and Environmental Benefits of Camel Products
I don't have this book yet but it looks like essential reading for someone who truly wants to understand this subject.
Information about the nutritional and therapeutic composition of camel's milk:
Bioactive natural products in donkey and camel milk: a perspective review
"Human milk guarantees a healthy development and improves immunity. It is
hypoallergenic. Sometimes, it is necessary to substitute this food with
other milk for different reasons. Cow, sheep, goat, camel and donkey
milk are natural alternatives. We evaluated the different compounds
within donkey and camel milk analyzing their biomolecular
characteristics and potential benefits for human health. Camel and
donkey milk bioactive products could be good candidates for controlling
several diseases and excellent substitutes in the case of milk protein
allergies in infants."
The nutritional composition of camel's milk (this page contains a lot of information about the exact amount of various nutrients that occur in camel's milk). A published paper also outlines the nutritional content of camel milk
Evaluation of camel milk: gross composition-a scientific overview
"This extraordinary and unique composition of camel milk makes it an
excellent food for populations who live in regions (arid and semi-arid)
where plants (fruits and vegetable) are uncommon. This scientific
insight into the gross composition of camel milk could encourage
consumers to incorporate this food into their diet and encourages dairy
industry operators to consider the possible transformation of camel milk
and its use as an ingredient in food.
"
Nutritional significance and promising therapeutic/medicinal application of camel milk as a functional food in human and animals: a comprehensive review
"CM
possess unique composition as compare to the cow milk with abundant
amount of medium chain fatty acids in fat low lactose and higher
concentration of whey protein and vitamin C. Besides the nutritional
significance of CM, it also contains higher concentration of bioactive
compounds including bioactive peptides, lactic acid bacteria (LAB),
lactoferrin (LF), lactoperoxidase, lysozyme casein and immunoglobulin... Consumption of fresh or fermented
CM and its products presumed exceptional nutraceutical and medicinal
properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and
immunomodulatory activities. Moreover, CM isolated LAB exhibit
antioxidant and probiotic effects leading to enhance the innate and
adaptive immune response against both gram-negative and gram-positive
pathogenic bacteria. The main objective of this review is to highlight
the nutritional significance, pharmaceutical potential, medicinal value
and salient beneficial health aspect of CM for human and animals."
A comprehensive review on health benefits, nutritional composition and processed products of camel milk
"Consumption of camel milk and its products are presumed to be associated
with antidiabetic, anti-cancerous, anti-hypertensive and many other
health benefiting properties. Different in vitro and in vivo studies on
camel milk have revealed various underlying mechanisms such as presence
of bioactive proteins (lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, lactoperoxidases,
etc.) as well as generation of various bioactive peptides upon digestion
as possible scientific rationale for its health benefiting properties... Therapeutic values of camel milk offer an extra advantage for its
utilization in production of different functional food products. As such
this review aims to present detailed compositional analysis, status of
various feasible products from camel milk and the comprehensive
discussion on the various health beneficial properties associated with
camel milk and its components."
Medicinal value of camel milk and meat
"Camel milk and meat are unique from other ruminant’s milk and meat in
terms of composition as well as claimed health effects. Camel milk has
low cholesterol, high minerals (sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc
and magnesium) and high vitamin C when compared with other ruminant
milk. Camel milk contains various fatty acids, enzymes and protective
proteins. Camel milk has potential therapeutic effects, such as
antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic, anti-ageing and
anticarcinogenic. The medicinal properties of camel milk can be
attributed to the presence of protective proteins, which may possibly
play a pivotal role for the enhancement of immune defense mechanism."
There has even been a TED talk about camel milk. I was actually not very impressed with it overall;, but it did have some interesting information, so it was still worth watching.
Studies Regarding the Therapeutic Use of Camel Milk in Medical Treatment:
Chapter 36 - Nutraceutical Properties of Camel Milk
"Camel milk is known for its medicinal properties, which have been widely exploited for human health since ancient times. Many studies have reported that camel milk has potential therapeutic properties such as antidiabetic, wound healing in diabetic patients, hepatitis C infection curing, treatment of autism, hypoallergenic effect, and antihypertensive. It has also been proven as a good alternative for people with cow milk allergy and as a therapeutic agent to reduce the harmful effects of exposure to toxins. Most of these properties are attributed to the unique characteristics of camel milk proteins, especially whey protein. Therefore in this chapter, the health-promoting activities of camel milk and their protein hydrolysates as well as their potential as an alternative for people with cow milk allergy was discussed."
A state-of-art review on camel milk proteins as an emerging source of bioactive peptides with diverse nutraceutical properties
"The generation of camel milk
derived bioactive peptides (CM-BAPs) have started to grab keen interest
of many researchers during the past decade. CM-BAPs have shown more
significant bioactive properties in comparison to camel milk intact
proteins. CM-BAPs can be obtained using enzyme hydrolysis to form
hydrolysates, or by the fermentation process. In this systematic review,
46 research articles exploring the health-related bioactive properties
of CM-BAPs through in-vitro and in-vivo studies
have been included. CM-BAPs have been reported for their antioxidant,
anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, antihypertensive, antibacterial,
antibiofilm, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-haemolytic, and
anti-hyperpigmentation activities. The effects of factors such as
molecular weight of peptides, type of enzyme, enzyme to substrate ratio,
hydrolysis temperature and duration have been analyzed. The in-vitro studies have provided enough evidence on certain aspects of the pharmacological actives of camel milk bioactive peptides."
Camels’ biological fluids contained nanobodies: promising avenue in cancer therapy
"Recently, there has been an evolving interest in utilizing nanobodies of camel origin as therapeutic tools against cancer... The current review highlights the potential use of nanobodies that are
naturally secreted in camels’ biological fluids, both milk and urine, in
the development of nanotechnology-based therapy for treating different
types of cancers and other diseases."
The Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Camel Milk
"Camel milk (CM) has been found to have several health benefits,
including antiviral, antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-fungal,
antioxidant, hypoglycaemic and anti-cancer activities. In addition, CM
can counter signs of aging and may be a useful naturopathic treatment
for autoimmune diseases... The anti-inflammatory mechanism of CM in various inflammatory disorders
was consistently reported to be through modulating inflammatory cells
and mediators. The common anti-inflammatory bioactive components of CM
seem to be lactoferrin. The antioxidant effects of α-lactalbumin,
β-caseins and vitamin C of CM work by reducing or inhibiting the
production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), hydroxyl radicals, nitric
oxide (NO), superoxide anions and peroxyl radicals, likely alleviating
oxidative stress. Higher levels of protective proteins such as lysozyme,
IgG and secretory IgA compared to cow's milk, and insulin-like protein
activity of CM on ß cells appear to be responsible for the
immunomodulatory properties of CM. The evidence indicates that CM and
its bioactive components has the potential to be a therapeutic value for
diseases that are caused by inflammation, oxidative stress and/or
immune-dysregulation."
Invited review: Camel milk and gut health—Understanding digestibility and the effect on gut microbiota
"Furthermore, antibodies help the digestive system by destroying the
antigens, which are then overwhelmed and digested by macrophages. The
connection between the gut microbiota and human health has gained
substantial research attention, as it offers potential benefits and
supports disease treatment. The gut microbiota has a vital role in
regulating the host's health because it helps in several biological
functions, such as protection against pathogens, immune function
regulation, energy harvesting from digested foods, and reinforcement of
digestive tract biochemical barriers. These functions could be affected
by the changes in the gut microbiota profile, and gut microbiota
differences are associated with several diseases, such as inflammatory
bowel disease, colon cancer, irritable bowel disorder, mental illness,
allergy, and obesity. This review focuses on the digestibility of CM
components, particularly protein and fat, and their influence on gut
microbiota modulation. Notably, the hypoallergenic properties and small
fat globules of CM contribute to its enhanced digestibility. Considering
the rapid digestion of its proteins under conditions simulating infant
gastrointestinal digestion, CM exhibits promise as a potential
alternative for infant formula preparation due to the high β-/αs-casein ratio and protective proteins, in addition to the absence of β-lactoglobulin."
Consumption of camel's milk by patients intolerant to lactose. A preliminary study.
"Except for two patients, who had mild reactions to the maximum dosage of camel's milk (250 mL), the acceptance was excellent. Pasteurization of camel's milk did not affect tolerance. Also, most of the patients showed significant clinical reactions when drinking very low amounts of cow's milk. Camel's milk can be considered an option for the individuals intolerant to lactose who present symptoms when ingesting cow's milk."
Release of angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitory peptides during in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion of camel milk
"Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides released from camel milk after simulated gastro-intestinal digestion were identified. The hydrolysis degree increased during digestion. The highest ACE-inhibitory activity was found in the post-pancreatic <3 kDa fraction. Peptides responsible for the biological activity were isolated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry. Among the identified sequences, 17 were identical to known bioactive peptides with ACE-inhibitory activity."
Camel Milk for Food Allergies in Children
(A small scale study with impressive results)
Behavioral Benefits of Camel Milk in Subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder
"
Significant differences were detected on Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) by CARS, SRS and ATEC scales, following 2 weeks of camel milk
consumption, but not in the placebo group."
Camel Milk as a Potential Therapy as an Antioxidant in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
"All measured parameters exhibited significant increase after camel milk
consumption (P < 0.5). These findings suggest that camel milk could
play an important role in decreasing oxidative stress by alteration of
antioxidant enzymes and nonenzymatic antioxidant molecules levels, as
well as the improvement of autistic behaviour as demonstrated by the
improved Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)."
Leptin and camel milk abate oxidative stress status, genotoxicity induced in valproic acid rat model of autism
"Leptin or CAM treatment of autistic animals showed a significant
improvement of all measured parameters and genetic expression values.
The improvement was pronounced in animals treated with CAM. These
results suggest that CAM is a potential therapeutic candidate for autism
via regulation of inflammatory and apoptotic pathways. Leptin plays an
essential role in alleviation of autistic behaviour through antioxidant
effects." (CAM = camel milk)
Patient report: autism spectrum disorder treated with camel milk
"This patient report is about my son, who was diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) at 3 years of age, and the effects I observed
when he began drinking camel milk daily. Beginning at age 9, he drank
one half cup of raw camel milk a day and experienced overnight an
improvement in his symptoms. His continued regular consumption of camel
milk was associated with sustained symptom improvements for 6
consecutive years (2007-2013)."
Nutritional and Therapeutic Characteristics of Camel Milk in Children: A Systematic Review
"Camel milk as a supplemental treatment seems less invasive and costly
than specialist care, medications, alternative treatments, and
behavioral interventions. Based on our findings, camel milk is safer for
children, effective in the treatment of autism, improves general
well-being, promotes body natural defenses, is a good nutritional
source, and can helps the daily nutritional needs of humans."
Mast cell stabilizing potential of Camel milk (Camelus dromedaries) in the management of asthma
"These findings suggest that camel milk (Camelus dromedaries) possesses mast cell
stabilizing properties and therefore can be a candidate for the antiasthmatic treatment and thus, it
may be used in the management of asthma."
Research Development on Anti-Microbial and Antioxidant Properties of Camel Milk and Its Role as an Anti-Cancer and Anti-Hepatitis Agent
"Camel milk is a rich source of vitamin C, lactic acid bacteria (LAB),
beta-caseins and milk whey proteins, including lactoferrin, lysozyme,
lactoperoxidase, alpha-lactalbumin and immunoglobulin. The lactoferrin
plays a key role in several physiological functions, such as conferring
antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory functions in cells.
Similarly, the camel milk alpha-lactalbumin has shown greater
antioxidative activity because of its higher antioxidant amino acid
residues. The antioxidant properties of camel milk have also been
ascribed to the structural conformation of its beta-caseins. Upon
hydrolysis, the beta-caseins lead to some bioactive peptides having
antioxidant activities. Consequently, the vitamin C in camel milk has a
significant antioxidant effect and can be used as a source of vitamin C
when the climate is harsh. Furthermore, the lysozyme and immunoglobulins
in camel milk have anti-microbial and immune regulatory properties. The
LAB isolated from camel milk have a protective role against both
Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Moreover, the LAB can be used as a
probiotic and may restore the oxidative status caused by various
pathogenic bacterial infections. Various diseases such as cancer and
hepatitis have been associated with oxidative stress. Camel milk could
increase antiproliferative effects and regulate antioxidant genes during
cancer and hepatitis, hence ameliorating oxidative stress. In the
current review, we have illustrated the anti-microbial and antioxidant
properties of camel milk in detail. In addition, the anti-cancer and
anti-hepatitis properties of camel milk have also been discussed."
In vitro investigation of anticancer and ACE-inhibiting activity, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, and antioxidant activity of camel milk fermented with camel milk probiotic: A comparative study with fermented bovine milk
"The proteolytic and antioxidant activity of water soluble extracts
(WSEs) from all fermented camel milks were higher than those of
fermented bovine milk.
α-Amylase inhibition of WSEs were >34% in both milk types fermented
with all strains during storage periods, except the WSE of camel milk
fermented by Lp.K772. The highest ACE-inhibition of the WSE from camel
milk fermented by Lr.K777 was >80%. The proliferations of Caco-2,
MCF-7 and HELA cells were more inhibited when treated with the WSE of
fermented camel milk."
The molecular basis of the anti-diabetic properties of camel milk
"Over the years, strong evidence have been accumulated in favor of the beneficial effects of camel milk on glucose homeostasis with significant anti-diabetic properties in both human and animal diabetic models... In this review, we speculated about the potential mechanisms and
summarized few mechanistic-based studies that investigated the
biological activity of camel milk and its protein components on the
different aspects that may be involved in the anti-diabetic effects. A
special emphasis is given to the molecular events engaged by camel milk
proteins/peptides on two key aspects: insulin secretion and insulin
receptor activity. Thus, the review gives a molecular rationale to the
anti-diabetic effects of camel milk. This will help to identify the
anti-diabetic agent(s) contained in camel milk and to understand better
its mechanism of action in order to use it for the management of
diabetes mellitus."
Camel milk as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes: verification of a traditional ethnomedical practice.
"These results suggest that, as an adjunct to standard management, daily ingestion of camel milk can aid metabolic control in young type 1 diabetics, at least in part by boosting endogenous insulin secretion."
Camel milk modulates the gut microbiota and has anti-inflammatory effects in a mouse model of colitis
"Our results showed that camel milk can prevent body weight loss and colon shortening, reduce the disease activity index, and attenuate colon tissue damage. Additionally, camel milk could reduce the over expression of inflammatory factors, inhibit the apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, and promote the expression of claudin-1, occludin, and zonula occludens-1 proteins. Moreover, camel milk effectively regulated intestinal microbiota in mice with colitis by increasing the gut microbiota diversity, increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria (such as g_norank_f_Muribaculaceae, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group), and reducing the number of harmful bacteria (Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella). In addition, camel milk increased the levels of intestinal short-chain fatty acids. The results of the present study demonstrated that via regulating the intestinal microbiota, maintaining intestinal barrier function, and inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines, camel milk can ameliorate dextran sodium sulfate–induced colitis."
Camel milk regulates T-cell proliferation to alleviate dextran sodium sulphate-induced colitis in mice
"In the present study, the effects of camel milk (CM) on dextran sodium
sulphate (DSS)-induced acute and chronic colitis in a mouse model were
investigated. The results showed CM effectively alleviated the injury
induced by DSS to the colon mucosa and imbalance of immune cells
in mice. However, treatment with CM significantly increased the body
weight of mice and decreased the disease activity index (DAI),
histopathological score, proliferation of Th17 cells and concentration
of inflammatory cytokine IL-17. The results from the present study
indicate CM possesses intestinal protective effects."
Assessment of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Anticancer Potential of Lactoferrin Extracted from Camel Milk
"Lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein present in mammalian milk.
It possesses antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and several
biological functions... The highest inhibitory effect of whole lactoferrin at the concentration
(4 mg/ml) was observed against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)
and S. aureus, while 10 mg/ml concentration was effective against K.
pneumonia, and 27 mg/ml was potent against multidrug-resistant (MDR)
bacteria, P. aeruginosa. Likewise, MRSA was more sensitive toward
iron-free lactoferrin (2 mg/ml) and hydrolyzed lactoferrin (6 mg/ml).
The tested lactoferrin forms showed variability in minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) among
tested bacteria. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis images
revealed distortions of the bacterial cells exposed to lactoferrin. The
antibiofilm effect differed depending on the concentration and the type
of the bacteria; biofilm inhibition ranged from 12.5 to 91.3% in the
tested pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, the anticancer activity of
lactoferrin forms exhibited a dose-dependent cytotoxicity against human
lung cancer cell line (A549)."
Dessert Farms
Camel Milk USA Discount Club
Camel Milk America
Camel Milk Association
OASIS Camel Dairy (they sell soaps, lotions, and other personal care products made of camel milk)
Camilk USA
This page from Camel Milk for Health lists a number of sources, including some outside the US.
