Folk medicine and magic. These are just a couple of things you can find in the Witches Market in Lima, Peru. Known locally as the Mercado de las Brujas, it is a smaller, more specialized market within the much larger Gamarra Market in the heart of Lima.
There are no signs to signal the start of the market but once you are there, there is no denying that you have found the right place. Ancient medicines of every sort can be seen: Giants slugs, dried llama fetuses, and snake fat are just a few examples of traditional Peruvian medicines. The snake fat, for instance, is said to cure fractured bones, back pain, and arthritis.
But one of the most popular delicacies/medicines of them all is the frog smoothie. This cure-all is used for everything from anemia to lung disease to impotence to ulcers. Locals abide by it and tourists have long been fascinated with it. It is also considered an aphrodisiac, NPR reported.
The smoothie is made from various ingredients and there is no one way to make it. The recipe will also depend on the ailments of the one drinking it. There is maca, a medicinal Peruvian root, fruits like noni, honey, quail egg, agorrobina, a syrup made from the black carob tree, pollen, coca, aloe vera, beer yeast, and many others, The Star noted.
Preparing the frog smoothie seems pretty straightforward. First, a live frog is plucked out of an aquarium. It is killed and then deftly skinned. It is lightly seared and the smoothie comes together in a high speed blender. The result is a brownish smoothie that, if folk medicine is to be believed, will cure anything.
Peruvians trust this drink whenever they feel unwell. In a BBC report, a customer said that for anyone who's ill, "if you take it three or four times a week, you will feel better very quickly." When a seller was asked to comment about the endangered status of these frogs, she said, "We all know that, but well... When they disappear, they disappear. But while we have them, we can help people with this drink."
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