Lao whiskey can keep you healthy

You might think that mixing poisonous reptiles with alcoholic beverages may be dangerous, but Uncle Somseuy, 74, believes that when such reptiles are pickled in plonk, the poison is dissipated leaving a potent potion beneficial to health.

He describes the end product as the best medicinal beverage one can imagine.

Horsieng village is in the town of Luang Prabang, alongside the Mekong River.

There, passers-by may notice a small sign written on a simple piece of paper.

Translating from the Lao language, it reads ‘Here is the best wine, mixed with many kinds of poisonous snakes for you to savour; only 5000 kip per small cup.'

Yet somehow it's more likely that visitors will be too busy catching an eyeful of the scary-looking products themselves.

Behind them and this bourgeoning business is a man with a passion for creepy crawlies.

Selling the drinks for decades, he is known by local people as Uncle Ngou (Uncle Snake).

His assortment of concoctions incorporates several kinds of poisonous reptiles including cobras and scorpions, as well as stinging insects such as wasps.

Some of the snakes have been caught by his own hand, while others he purchases from local traders for anything up to 300,000 kip.

Uncle Ngou used to live in Myanmar, where he learned the formula from the locals.

The method is remarkably simple.

For the alcoholic base, he uses a local white rice wine in which he just submerges the creatures he deems will make an efficacious brew.

After three months, the flavour-filled beverage is ready to be consumed. The contents remain effective and palatable for up to 10 years.

Most of the people who imbibe this liquor are of mature age.

They believe the concoction will heal their backache or other body pain, or re-energise them after yet another day of hard work.

The rural people of Laos put great stock in the effectiveness of such remedies, but as yet precious little has been proved regarding their value outside the colourful anecdotes of devotees.

For some fence-sitters it's not easy to forget such things when confronted by a fearsome cobra, albeit a deceased one confined to a glass bottle.

Yet one thing is for sure; the bottles and the liquor that preserves these strange reptiles are attention-grabbing.

As for the use of animals for such health brews, opinions are divided.

Some people think it is cruel, while others have a rather more positive view.

It's not just the locals who can't seem to ignore these potent pick-me-ups.

Many a foreigner has fallen for the reptilian tonic at first sight.

So far his penetration of the international market has been limited, but Uncle Snake is more than proud of his sale of large bottles to visitors from China and the UK.

At a cost of nearly 5 million kip for the largest bottle, the liquor doesn't come cheap.

The larger bottles grab one's attention, but the smaller ones are also worth a look.

In one is a preserved snakehead fish (pa kor kang), and in another a bolu turtle.

Uncle Ngou claims that these turtles can live to an age of 300 years, a life expectancy that human beings can only dream of. It is that kind of longevity that drinkers want to tap into.

The snakehead potion is another kettle of fish entirely.

According to his personal belief, the brew that results from this unattractive piscine specimen improves sexual potency.

Once again, evidence is more anecdotal than anything, but your writer can hardly imagine that snakehead wine over a romantic dinner is something that would attract the ladies.

A companion on the trip to Luang Prabang decided to put it to the test.

He dared not drink the alcohol that poisonous animals had been soaked in but he was, however, willing to sip the snakehead fish wine.

Curious about the taste, we cracked the bottle.

While a bit pungent, the wine had absorbed most of the fishy odour.

“I feel okay after drinking it,” he answered when asked. He was still alive and coherent the following day; a good sign indeed.

Uncle Ngou and his brews are certainly well known among local drinkers, if the merry gathering at his shop is anything to go by.

Most sample the potions, chatting cheerfully while supping on chicken soup.

“I don't think the drink is poisonous; we are okay after drinking it. So far, we haven't heard about the drinks harming anyone.”

“If it was poisonous we would die first because we drink it quite often,” Mr Chek said, as he downed some chicken soup.

Wearing sunglasses and bald but for a shock of dark hair, Uncle Snake makes it clear his skills are not limited to knowledge of his tipple and their slightly dubious animal contents.

A capable linguist, he has picked up foreign phrases and enjoys practising his communication skills with those visiting from further afield.

He has leant greetings and basic conversation from foreign visitors, who come to sample his drinks and provide feedback on the experience.

The proprietor, who has been drinking his own beverages over a long period, offers himself as a prime example of its curative properties and lack of harmful effects.

It's all still anecdotal at this stage, as he has not undertaken scientific studies to quantify the effects, positive or negative.

One doctor said he recommended against imbibing such concotions.

Yet somehow it seems hard to imagine this advice will have a ready audience among Uncle Snake and his band of well-seasoned clientele who swear by the stuff.

So, until scientists say oth erwise, perhaps it is best to enjoy these fascinating reptilian brews in moderation, or just soak up the atmosphere of this colourful conglomeration.

Posted by samakomlao on 9:33 AM. Filed under Healths . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Feel free to leave a response