Assessment of camel (<i>Camelus dromedaries</i>) milk and urine in the management of diabetes mellitus in the semi - Arid Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

A survey was conducted in Maiduguri to assess the awareness and effectiveness of camel milk and urine for the control of Diabetes mellitus (DM). Snowball sampling technique was used to select 75 respondents that utilized camel milk and urine frequently. The respondents were interviewed on their level of awareness, perceived effectiveness on the use of Camel milk and urine in controlling DM, and the problems they encountered in sourcing them. The results show that all the respondents are aware of the use of camel milk in the management of DM. Greater proportion (53%) are unaware of the use of camel urine or its combination with milk in the control of DM in the study area. Camel milk was perceived to be significantly (P<0.05) effective than urine or milk-urine combination in the management of DM. Scarcity (32%) and distance to market (28%) were identified as the major problems encountered in sourcing the camel milk while scarcity (48%) and distance from market (28%) were the problems perceive by most of the respondents in sourcing the camel urine. It was concluded that traditionally, camel milk has potentials in the control of Diabetes Mellitus in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. It is therefore, recommended that clinical research should be conducted to validate this claim by the respondents.