Every year since 1845, the Bathini family of Hyderabad has given out a fish remedy for asthma on Mrigasira Karthi, the day that marks the onset of the monsoon. Patients are given a live murrel fish stuffed with a “secret herbal paste.” Many people believe it to be a traditional remedy for asthma and other breathing problems.
The family’s story is that on a stormy night in 1845 a holy man from the Himalayas knocked on their door. The next morning, as he was leaving, he “whispered the secret formula of the fish cure” to Veeranna Goud. The formula has stayed in the family. His great-grandsons continued to give out the fish.