Pharmaceuticals and Dietary Supplements Extracted from Mare’s Milk

Abstract

Mare’s milk is similar to human breast milk and has valuable therapeutic properties. For this reason, Europeans are increasingly interested in discovering its benefits and how the chemical composition of horse milk differs from that of other species. This interest is reflected in the number of new farms selling mare’s milk around the world as this milk is the most similar to human milk. Mare’s milk is considered to be highly digestible, rich in essential nutrients and whey protein, which makes it very suitable as a substitute for bovine milk in paediatric diets. During the period of lactation, mammal's milk composition is subject to rapid changes in macro- and micro-elements, as well as in the quantity and quality of proteins, lipids and saccharides, being ideal food for infants. The primary use of mare’s milk has been the rearing of foals, but recently, due to the similarity of its chemical composition to that of human milk, it has raised particular interest and some experiments have been done to apply it as a raw material for the preparation of special food products for human consumption. Mare’s milk products are very common in Russia and Central Asia throughout Mongolia. In the 19 th century, some Russian scientists explored its therapeutic properties and then in 1859 they founded the first sanatorium where treatments with mare’s milk could be made under medical control. Due to its potential health-promoting characteristics, in the Western countries, interest in mare's milk has lately increased. Â