The estuarine mud extracted from Lake Pomorie has a history going back thousands of years. The first data about this natural phenomenon and its healing properties date back to the year 547 BCE. The Thracians called it “the sacred lake of the three nymphs”. In our day, the mud treatment centre of the specialized rehabilitation hospital in the nearby town of Pomorie has more than 10,000 patients a year. They come here for the Pomorie mud, to treat plexitis, discopathy, radiculitis, arthrosis and other musculoskeletal disorders. But what Pomorie’s mud is most famous for is the effect it has on the reproductive system. “I can safely say we have more babies than all in vitro centres in Bulgaria put together,” Dr. Georgi Prodromov, who has been working at the sanatorium for 40 years, says in an interview with Daniela Kostadinova from BNR-Burgas.  

The curative mud is extracted from a species of seaweed which falls to the bottom of the lake at the end of July and the beginning of August. And in combination with zoo and phytoplankton, when it undergoes anaerobic decay, i.e. when it decays without oxygen, the lake produces a layer of healing mud in a year, that is no more than 1 milimetre thick. “The mud actually contains all female egg hormones, as well as the male testosterone,” says Dr. Prodromov and adds:

“Here are the ways the mud can be used: first we have application i.e. the entire body is wrapped in mud at a temperature of 37-38° C. We also have mud baths, i.e. the lake water plus mud. For young women with reproductive problems, besides the mud over the body, mud can be inserted into the vagina with all active ingredients and anti-inflammatory medication for treating inflammation and ovarian dysfunction. We also have salt baths as a more sparing procedure.”

The mud of Pomorie is definitely not recommended for oncology patients, or patients with varicose veins, high blood pressure or cardiac problems.

But what about the people who smear curative mud over their bodies at Lake Pomorie itself, can they expect the same healing effect as the people at the sanatorium?

“When it is exposed to the light, the mud is oxidized, and goes grey in two hours, i.e. it is no longer black, and that means it has lost its properties. It has to be kept at a certain temperature, must not be exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise the hormones in it are destroyed. Half an hour after it is applied on the skin, the mud starts to harden and must be washed off immediately,” Dr. Prodromov says.

Mud treatment can also be preventive and slow down the joint degenerative processes, Dr. Margarita Mihaylova, director of the sanatorium in Pomorie says and goes on:

“We have many patients who have come in good time after being referred by specialists, and who have delayed or have even been able to avoid joint or herniated disc replacement surgery. These operations often lead to complications and are much more expensive than any preventive treatment.”

The specialized rehabilitation hospital in Pomorie has been demanding the adoption of a law on the preservation of mud deposits in Bulgaria for a long time. Such a law is very important because due to a number of changes and to human interference, the salinity of Lake Pomorie has been going down with every passing year, which is destroying its biggest treasure – the curative mud.

More:

• Pomorie – cultural and medical tourism on the Black Sea coast
• Bulgaria’s oldest functioning church in Pomorie jealously guards a valuable icon of Jesus Christ

Interview by Daniela Kostadinova, BNR-Burgas

Text by Veneta Nikolova

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova

Photos: Rawpixel, BGNES