When it's midnight at the oasis and time for the Bedouins to bed down, we've no doubt a warm cup of camel's milk sits atop their desert nightstand. But why has it suddenly become such a hot commodity here in the U.S.?

Make no mistake: like anything trendy, one big reason why camel milk is hot is because it is different.  It is more difficult to come by (there are only 3,000 camels in the U.S., according to the American Camel Association, and the FDA has restricted imports) and commensurately more expensive (According to USA Today, camel milk could sell at prices starting at $18 a pint in the U.S. if marketed correctly).

But is it any good for you?

Compared to cow's milk, camel's milk offers 10 times the amount of iron and 5 times the amount of vitamin C; additionally, it contains antibacterial and antiviral properties, according to Gulfnews. Nutritionally, camel’s milk is slightly lower in total fat and saturated fat, but equal to cow’s milk in total calories and protein,

Lori Chong, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, informed Live Science that camel milk might be helpful for people with autism, Type 1 diabetes, food allergies, hepatitis B and other autoimmune diseases.

“Studies have shown that the consumption of camel milk increases the bodies' production of antioxidant enzymes thereby lowering oxidative stress within the body,” Chong said. “Studies have also shown that daily consumption of camel's milk can improve glycemic control while also lowering the insulin requirement of people with Type 1 diabetes.”

So what are we waiting for, right? Grab a camel teat and a bucket and start squirting, no?

Not so fast, Achmed.

To understand the risks associated with drinking camel's milk, we must first understand the pasteurization process. Named for Louis Pasteur, the 19th century French scientist who discovered it, the pasteurization process is the one whereby a consumable, such as beer or milk, is heated to remove bacteria and other pathogens that may be harmful to us and which cause spoilage. Camel's milk is primarily consumed in its unpasteurized form, (A) because it tastes better, and (B) that's the old school, “all natural” way to do it.

However, the Saint Louis Institute for Conservation Medicine studied the consumption of camel's milk in northern Kenya, where around 10 percent of people drink unpasteurized camel milk. The study found a higher prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in camel milk than in sheep and cattle milk. In Kenya, this increased risk corresponded with an increased use of camels as domesticated animals. 

A multi-national team of researchers published a report indicating that the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has been found in camel milk. Although the scientists do not knowwhether the infected milk can sicken people, experts warn against drinking raw camel milk, which has been a common practice in the Middle East since King Tut was in diapers. The Qatari government has already issued new guidelines recommending that milk be boiled before consumption.

But Desert Farms, the leading drome-dairy bottlers in the U.S., pshaw all that away and advise the camel milk curious not to get their humps in an uproar. Their camels are all U.S. born and raised, and they uphold that raw milk from their clean dairys and pasture-raised camels is free of the pathogens that have been found in their Middle Eastern cousins. They also offer a “gently pasteurized” version of their camel milk which they say preserves the flavor of the raw while still killing the pathogens “if any.”