An 82-year-old woman in eastern China shocked the nation by swallowing eight small live frogs as she followed a folklore remedy to treat her lower back pain.
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The octogenarian, surnamed Zhang, was sent to a hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in early September due to severe abdominal pain, the Hangzhou Daily reported.
“My mother ate eight live frogs. Now the sharp pain has made her unable to walk,” her son told the doctor.
Zhang, who had suffered from a herniated disc for a long time, heard that swallowing live frogs could help relieve her lower back pain.
Believing this theory, the grandmother asked her family to catch some live frogs for her, without informing them of her intentions.
After her family collected the frogs, all of which were smaller than an adult’s palm, Zhang did not cook them but swallowed them live. She consumed three frogs on the first day and the remaining five the next day, according to the report.