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Witch’s (Bokshi’s) bite – Medically Explained

  • March 22, 2014
  • 2 min read
  • 5843 Views
Witch’s (Bokshi’s) bite – Medically Explained

Have you heard of females, waking up with bluish-blackish spots on arms or thighs without a known history of trauma? These unexplained skin marks are often attributed to Witch’s or “Bokshi’s” bite by old people, here in Nepal. As vampires are to Western culture, witches are to South Asian culture for both have a questionable existence and are thought to bite innocent human beings but we are not obsessed to the later as with Vampires. Witches are regarded as near equivalent to the female ghosts who practice witchcraft, a form of magical power which is often held responsible for sickness and other day to day problems of villagers many of times. The superstition is deeply rooted and people find it hard to discard any myths associated with witches who often do witchcraft spells.

Today, we will try to debunk this myth with medical explanations.

Witch bite bruise

Myth: Witches suck blood of other women to harm them which leaves a tooth-mark on waking up from the sleep.

Possible Medical Reasons:

These are bruises which appear due to bleeding under the skin when small blood vessels tear at the site due to injury. They can be due to:

1. Anemia: This would possibly also explain, why it is significantly common in women compared to men. This phenomenon is common in menstruating females, when they constantly lose blood from the body sometimes enough to cause iron deficiency anemia leading to clotting disturbance and easy bruising. Same is the case with other anemia and clotting disorders. Sites prone to pressure during sleep are more prone for bruising in these cases.

2. Activities during sleep: One may be active during sleep and strike objects near by bed, which gives bruises or you may even be sleepwalking.

3. Other conditions:

  • Vitamin C deficiency
  • Chronic liver disease
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Hormonal disorders
  • Leukemia and other clotting related disorders
  • Medications like aspirin and NSAIDs

What to do if you get them?

Do not search for upper and lower teeth marks and don’t blame witches 🙂 . It necessitates you to seek medical help as there may be a serious underlying medical disorder. You may be tested for Complete Blood Count, Liver Function Tests (LFTs), etc.

About Author

Sulabh Shrestha

Intern doctor and Medical Blogger Sulabh Shrestha

3 Comments

  • Can you explain two bite marks on my upper rib cage just under my breast when I sleep alone?

  • Here in mexico people believe in that too I remember when I was a kid 12 years old maybe sometimes my older sister woke up with those marks on her legs and told me look I was bitten by a witch I sleept in the same room with her

  • Another explanation could be that, these marks are more commonly seen in married women than others, are love marks. The sites of marks are thigh (usually inner) and arms as common site for love marks.

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