According to a viral video, American company ‘Human Microbes’ is offering money for donating stool for medical research. Healthy donors can earn up to ₹1.5 crore annually. This stool is used in fecal transplant to treat diseases.
Strange ways of earning money in the online world are often discussed. But recently a video clip of a woman is going viral on social media, which shows a surprising connection between human health and medical research. This video claims that some companies are ready to buy something that hardly anyone thinks of selling – and that is your poop.
Become a millionaire by selling feces?
Many people were surprised to hear the claim of this video, while many were also interested in it. Some thought it was a joke, while others became curious to know the science behind it. At the beginning of the video, the woman asks, “If I say you can earn Rs 1.5 crore by selling your potty, would you believe it?” After this she tells that an American company is ready to pay money to those who donate stool. According to his claim, one can get up to Rs 41,000 every time he donates stool. If someone does this continuously, he can earn up to Rs 1.5 crore in a year.
“Earn money, save life”
The woman has also shown in the video a screenshot of the American company’s website, on which it is written, “Earn money, save lives. Become a stool donor for research.” The woman also claims that people who are very fit and healthy can get even more money. She insists it’s no joke.
journey from stool to medicine
- The woman also explained the science behind stool donation. “The science behind it is this: About half of your poop is made up of gut bacteria,” she says. “They play a huge role in everything from digestion to metabolism to mental health.” These companies extract these good bacteria from the stool of healthy people and convert them into capsules. These capsules are then given to people who are suffering from diseases like obesity, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and bipolar disorder. This process is called ‘fecal microbiota transplant’ (FMT) and several successful cases have been reported. At the end of the video she says that this is a very interesting period for science.
- This video clip, shared on March 8, has been viewed more than four lakh times so far. This has sparked an interesting debate among users. Many people expressed surprise, while some made funny comments. One user wrote, “This was all that was left to see.” Another user commented, “Oh my god, why did this video come to me so late.”
Listen to the whole story in the video
What are ‘human microbes’?
Behind this project is an organization named ‘Human Microbes’, which was started by Michael Harrop in 2020. It operates primarily in the US and Canada, but also accepts stool donations from other countries. When possible, they also arrange international shipping.
What is the focus of the company
- The company’s focus is to find extremely healthy donors whose stool can help in medical treatment and research. Harrop started this project after his own health problems and seeing the large number of people in society struggle with poor health.
- He has written several articles on microbiome and fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). Apart from this, he has also created a large online database named ‘HumanMicrobiome.info’, which collects research done on microbiome and explains it in easy language for experts and common readers.