Harinath Goud, secretary of the Battini Goud Trust, has ruled out the possibility of submitting the famous fish medicine meant for asthma for clinical tests as demanded by the Indian Medical Association and Jana Vignana Vedika in Hyderabad recently.

The IMA, AP Chapter, and the Vedika, at a joint meeting last week, said the medicine had no scientific basis and wanted the Battini family to submit the medicine for clinical tests. The speakers at the meeting also wanted the government to withdraw all support to the family for conducting the administration of the medicine if the family refused the demand.

Addressing newsmen in response to pressure from the medical field, Harinath Goud said it was a secret of the Battini family for the last 158 years. Except the five Battini brothers, not even the women folk in the family knew the secret of the medicine, he said.

"If we reveal the formula or take monetary benefits for administering the medicine, the power of the medicine will be lost and it will become useless," Harinath Goud said.

He said the threats and protests were not new. "We are not new to such protests. We had also received threats by unknown and anonymous people but never took them seriously."

Asked if there were any side effects, he said no reports ever came to them and those claiming that some had died because of consuming the fish medicine had no concrete proof. He wondered how doctors could doubt the efficacy of the medicine which drew lakhs of people from all parts of the world every year. "It has spread by word of mouth. We administer the medicine in front of lakhs of people and charge nothing," he said.

The Battini fish medicine is given on Mrigasira Karthik, a particular nakshtra in Telugu calendar, as advised by a holy man who gave the secret of the medicine to Veeranna Goud in 1845. It is said that a holy man, impressed by Veeranna's habit of serving the labourers, gave him the secret formula of some miracle herbs and blessed the place of administration of the medicine which is at Doodhbowli as also the well from where the water is used for preparing the medicine.

An estimated seven lakh people are expected to take the medicine this year from 9 pm on June 7 to 9 pm on June 8, at the Exhibition Grounds in Nampally. Three quintals of medicine was being prepared. The family makes three kinds of medicine, one that is given with the murrel fish, another to go with jaggery for vegetarians and six tablets to be taken at 15 days interval after the fish medicine is taken. The fish medicine is kept in the mouth of live sardine (murrel) fish which is two to three inches in size, and slipped into the mouth of each patient. The live fish wagging its tail and fins in the throat helps in clearing congestion of phlegm. During the 45-day period, a strict special diet has to be maintained for the medicine to be effective.

"We are not commercialising the medicine and we are not into deceiving people. As long as people seek our medicine, we will administer it. When they stop coming, we too will stop," Harinath Goud said.