The unnamed man from Nanjing, China had blindly followed a folk remedy which claims that gobbling eels alive could help him pass his solid waste.

He was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain where horrified docs rushed him into surgery to have the eels removed - one of which was still alive and had chewed through his intestine.

The medical case was revealed by Jiangsu Public Channel during daily news programme News 360.

Dr Sun Haijan, who treated the man at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said: “He thought it could treat his chronic constipation and prostatitis.

“He began experiencing severe abdominal pain soon after, but he waited until the next day to seek medical attention”.

Dr Sun added: “His stomach was fine, but because the intestines are much thinner and more fragile, the eels managed to bite through and squirm out.

“A colonic perforation can flood the abdominal cavity with faeces and water.

“Digestive juices in the abdomen can also trigger serious infections which, if not treated right away, can prove fatal.”