Mare's Milk: Composition, Properties, and Application in Medicine

Mare's milk is a highly valuable organic substance that has a great potential to replace cow's milk. Consumption of cow's milk causes digestive disorders in some individuals. Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common food allergies among infants. Therefore, finding a protein substitute with the same nutritional value is a priority. Mare's milk can be a good substitute for cow's milk, especially for those suffering from CMA. Prerequisites for this study were the recent interest in mare's milk, as an ancient relic of the Turkic peoples which contains lots of nutrients. The present study aimed to systematize relevant information on the composition of mare's milk and its application in medicine. Google Scholar, PubMed, Cochrane, Elsevier, CyberLeninka were employed for a comprehensive literature search. The searched keywords for this study were mare's milk, saumal, composition, properties, use in medicine. A total of 77 sources were selected for reviewing the literature. Most sources were in English, except for one of the bottom 40 sources published in the last 10 years. Among the milk of many mammalian species, mare's milk is chemically similar to human milk so it can be used as a substitute. It is also used to feed people with various health conditions, especially in patients at risk, or suffering from tuberculosis, hepatitis C, psoriasis, and various types of immunodeficiency. The present study describes the rich composition, antibacterial and antiviral properties of mare's milk. A review of the literature revealed that mare's milk is an excellent thirst quencher, and has valuable nutrients necessary for the human body which is by no means inferior to human milk.