Embrace snail therapy for long life, says snail breeder

A snail farmer, Mr Ukonu Ukonu, on Monday advised Nigerians to embrace snail stress reduction therapy in order to prolong life expectancy.

Ukonu, a snail breeder and owner of Dynapharm International, a firm that specialises in snail farming, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Citing the daily nerve-wracking stress in Lagos State, Ukonu said the way out was for Lagos residents and people in other parts of the country to embrace alternative therapies for survival.

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“Lagos is a very busy city and most residents in the state have accumulated stress that can last them a lifetime.

“If we have snail stress reduction centres across the state and people get access to them, it will help increase the life expectancy of people.

“I would encourage Nigerians to adopt the snail stress reduction therapy as an alternative health care therapy in reducing stress.’’

Ukonu, who explained the modalities involved in the therapy, said it was better experienced than explained.

“When the snail is placed on an individual’s face or feet or any part of the body to crawl, its movement is therapeutic and helps reduce stress levels.

“Snail stress reduction therapy is currently gaining popularity in Europe.

“When it crawls on the body, it calms you down and gives an ethereal feeling.

“The empty shells of the snail also help in stress reduction.

“When the empty snail shells are fixed on both ears while on your feet, it sends a calm feeling all through the body within 10 minutes of being placed.

“Even watching a snail crawl on its own helps relieve stress levels in humans.

“It is another value-chain opportunity for snail farming business.’’

Making reference to the snail farming value-chain, Ukonu says the extraction of snail slime makes the trade more viable.

“Snail slime is very good when applied on the skin for dermatological and cosmetic purposes.

“It is usually used to wipe and clean the face for smoothness.

“If we can invest in procuring the machines for extracting snail slimes, it will yield higher returns.

“Snail slime is highly lucrative. It can be sold to hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and cosmetic companies.

“Of all the value-chain in snail business, the slime extraction is the most profitable for the farmer because of its high demand locally and internationally,’’ he said.

(NAN)