In early September, an 82-year-old woman from eastern China made news after consuming eight live frogs in a traditional yet dangerous attempt to relieve her chronic back pain. The incident, which occurred in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, ended with the woman being hospitalized due to a severe parasitic infection.
The patient, identified only by her surname Zhang, was admitted to a local hospital after complaining of intense abdominal pain. Her son informed doctors, “My mother ate eight live frogs. Now the pain is so bad she can’t walk.” According to reports from the Hangzhou Daily, Zhang had been suffering from a herniated disc for years and had come across a folk belief that eating live frogs could ease lower back discomfort.
Without consulting her family, Zhang asked her relatives to catch several small frogs—each about the size of an adult’s palm. Over two days, she swallowed three frogs on the first day and five on the second, all raw. Soon after, she began experiencing worsening stomach pain. It wasn’t until the agony became unbearable that she finally revealed her actions to her family.
Medical examinations at Zhejiang University’s First Affiliated Hospital ruled out cancer but detected a significant rise in oxyphil cells—an indicator of potential parasitic or blood disorders. Further testing confirmed that Zhang had contracted parasites, including sparganum, as a direct result of ingesting the live amphibians.
“Swallowing live frogs caused serious harm to her digestive tract and triggered a parasitic infection,” a hospital spokesperson told the press. After a two-week course of treatment, Zhang recovered and was discharged.
Dr. Wu Zhongwen, a senior physician at the hospital, noted that Zhang’s case is not an isolated one. “We’ve encountered several similar cases in recent years,” he said. “Some patients consume raw snake or fish bile, while others apply frog skin directly to their skin.”
He added that many of these individuals are elderly and often avoid discussing their health issues with family until their conditions deteriorate severely. “There’s a misconception that applying frog skin can treat skin diseases, but that’s entirely unscientific,” Dr. Wu warned. “Such practices can introduce parasites into the body, potentially leading to vision impairment, brain infections, or even fatal complications.”
The spread of pseudoscientific health remedies continues to be a concern, especially on Chinese social media. In a recent example, a six-month-old baby in Zhejiang suffered lead poisoning after her mother repeatedly immersed the infant’s hand in a lead acetate solution—a supposed online remedy for eczema. Doctors explained that the lead entered the baby’s system through skin absorption.
