KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — A man in Xinghua, Jiangsu province had the most bizarre way to relieve his constipation.

He inserted a 20-centimetre eel into his rectum via his anus.

The man, however, almost died when the fish went up to his abdomen.

Global Times reported that the man was encouraged to try the treatment from folklore that said eel could help in bowel movement.

However, instead of curing his constipation, the fish went from his rectum to the colon before biting through and entered his abdomen.

Unable to endure the pain, the unidentified man finally went to the hospital after one day.

Doctors who operated on him said he could have lost his life as the bacteria in the large intestines might cause hemolysis when it reaches his abdominal cavity.

Interestingly, the eel was still alive when it was removed during the operation. 

According to the portal, a 50-year-old man in Guangdong Province did the same stunt last year but he used a 40-centimetre eel.