An iron fish heals thousands in Cambodia, thanks to a man and his idea

Good luck charm: Nothing ‘fishy’ in this affair. (Source: Lucky Iron Fish)

Cooking an iron fish in water or soup is increasingly becoming a common sight in the villages of Kandal province, Cambodia, thanks to a man and his idea that has cured many people of anaemia.

A Canadian Science graduate Dr Charles visited Cambodia six years ago, and found that the children in most of the villages, were weak, with slow mental development. Women also suffered from health problems and were unable to work due to that. Iron supplements could solve the problem, but the villagers detested it, as it had side-effects. Also the supplements were neither affordable nor widely available, reports BBC.

(Source: Lucky Iron Fish) (Source: Lucky Iron Fish)

Dr Charles’ idea is changing the life of the villagers, slowly but surely. He introduced a lump of iron, shaped like a fish, into the cooking pot. It was designed to release iron at the right concentration to provide the nutrients.

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The ‘fish’ just needs to be boiled with either water or soup for 10 minutes. After that a dash of lemon juice is added to help the absorption of iron.

Trials on several hundred villagers in one province in Cambodia showed that nearly half of those who took part were no longer anaemic after 12 months, says BBC.