If your child stammers, there will surely be a female friend or neighbour who will recommend that you use snail slime to cure this language impediment. And to convince you, said neighbour would back it up with testimonies. She will tell you that this person whose 3-year old girl used to ingest this slime served in the snail’s shell. And that after some time, the stammer disappeared.

“I cannot prescribe the slime or shell of a snail for stammering. I would rather request that the patient see a speech therapist”, repeats Ghislaine Audrey Tchieji, a doctor. She specifies that it will be up to the speech therapist, specialist in voice, speech and language issues, to identify the origin of the stammer of your child and prescribe the corresponding treatment.

This warning does not prevent fans of “organic” and “natural” methods to insist on snail slime.

“My daughter had this issue and snail slime was recommended, says Caroline with irony. The paediatrician assured me that it is after 5 years that the child is through learning language. If the issue persists then, you have to consider a speech therapy. It does not last long when you start early”, ends the young woman.

With all the snails everywhere these days, there logically should not be anyone stammering, according to those who believe in the slime…

Monique Ngo Mayag