Alternative Sources of Nutrition

In Daoism there is a term called “Bi Gu”, which translates to “avoiding food”. This idea aims to explain that by avoiding food, one achieves health and vitality. The oldest written reports of Chinese masters, who lived in a certified state of Bi Gu without physical food, date back over 2,000 years ago.

Perhaps the most famous case of skeptical scrutiny is described in the book of Ge Hong. During the Jin Dynasty, the Chinese emperor Qu Jin Di imprisoned a monk named Wu. This monk claimed he could survive without eating, so the emperor decided to put him in a cell. The skeptical monarch made sure Wu had no access to food. The monk was able to remain in perfect health for a whole year. (1)

There are similar accounts like these. They include stories of Maharajas who tested Yogis, and Chinese Emperors who locked Kung Fu Masters in wooden cells, to see if they could really live without physical food.

According to “The Light Documentary”, the Church of Western Traditions investigated many cases of Inedia (breatharianism). They included those of Nicholas of Flüe, Alpais of Cudot, Marthe Robin, Therese Neumann, and many more.

There are records from 1843 when King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered a study on Maria Furtner. She was a farmer’s daughter who stopped eating at the age of 12, after developing a strange illness. Allegedly, she did not eat for over 50 years. After five weeks of tests at the Royal Clinic of Bavaria, the doctors published a final report on the Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences. Their findings suggested the accounts to be true, “with no reason to presume cheating or deception.” (2)

During the 20th and 21st century, better studies with improved scientific methods have been performed to test the results for breatharianism. Most of these have been performed in China. The most interesting case is that of a young woman named Ding Jing, who didn’t eat or drink for 87 days. During this time she didn’t lose any weight. (3)

It is also known that the Chinese military has performed similar studies, testing soldiers ability to survive without food or water. Their findings are classified.

There are additional case studies, including those on Prahlad Jani, a yogi who claimed he didn’t eat or drink for over 70 years. “The Light Documentary” reports that “During the 10 and 15 day studies performed, Yogi Jani was guarded by a team of 24 doctors under supervision of the Indian military. There was 24-hour CCTV-control in the test space, his blood was tested daily, and his digestive organs were monitored with medical imaging techniques. During the first week the yogi wasn’t even allowed to take a bath”. Under these circumstances, a human is supposed to die after five to six days. However, during these case studies, Yogi Prahlad Jani’s blood counts constantly measured in the safe range. (4)

Just recently breatharian Ray Maor perplexed doctors in an experiment for Israeli TV. During this study, Ray renounced from eating and drinking, for eight straight days. He now has a YouTube channel where he teaches people about breatharianism. This channel has over 56,000 subscribers and millions of views.

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