JOIN USAdd some scepticism to Covid home remedies
While India is setting new records with rising Covid-19 cases every day, we are also coming across a large variety of home remedies to beat the virus all over social media. These remedies not only promise to boost immunity but some also claim to cure the disease.
There’s no doubt that the Indian kitchen is a powerhouse of medicinal ingredients, but are these food items and other home remedies strong enough to fight a deadly virus? Metrolife finds out if these viral home remedies doing the rounds on WhatsApp are actually reliable or not.
Black pepper, ginger and honey
A piece of news has been doing rounds on social media claiming that home remedies such as consuming black pepper, ginger, and honey offer a cure for Covid-19 disease. It claims that the remedy discovered by a student of Pondicherry University has also been approved by the World Health Organization.
Press Information Bureau (PIB) took to Twitter on Sunday to fact-check the claim and said there is no home remedy for Coronavirus and nor has it been approved by World Health Organisation (WHO).
“Such remedies are recommended for symptomatic relief when a person is dealing with an infection. It can help reduce inflammation and irritation in the throat but there is absolutely no way in which this remedy can fight Covid,” says Dr Siri Kamath, general physician.
Inhaling camphor
Over the last week, you may have stumbled upon a message which suggests that inhaling vapour of camphor, clove, carom seeds and eucalyptus oil can help increase oxygen levels.
Experts say there is no scientific evidence that suggests that the camphor parcel can help increase your oxygen intake. R Subramaniam, ENT specialist said that there was no logic behind smelling the camphor potli except reassuring oneself that the sense of smell is intact.
“People have started putting the potli into their masks which could cause other health issues. This is not at all safe,” he says.
Two drops of lemon
Two drops of lime in the nose can prevent Covid, claimed noted industrialist and VRL chairman Vijay Sankeshwar.
“My family members and 200 others have all used lemon drops and it has improved our immune system,” he said in an interview.
However, WHO and the United States National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine in their official websites have stated that there is no scientific evidence of lemon juice able to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“Lemon contains vitamin C that is essential for your health, however, there’s no evidence to show that it can boost or provide strong protection to the immune system,” the websites stated.
“This is a bogus claim. I urge people to not follow such remedies before verifying it with a certified doctor,” says Dr Subramaniam.
Gargling warm saltwater
Earlier this month, a viral image was doing the rounds on Facebook and WhatsApp groups claiming that one can eliminate the virus by drinking lots of water and gargling warm water mixed with salt or
vinegar.
The text in the viral picture reads, “Coronavirus before it reaches the lungs it remains in the throat for four days and at this time the person begins to cough and have throat pains. If he drinks water a lot and gargling with warm water & salt or vinegar eliminates the virus. Spread this information because you can save someone with this information.”
Dr Ramesh K N, internal medicine consultant, says this method is not curative. “Due to the high salt content, it may help in soothing the throat and may reduce bacterial load in the pharynx but this remedy is not a cure for Covid-19,” he adds.
PIB has also debunked this rumour that coronavirus can be treated by gargling with warm water mixed with salt and vinegar and has called it fake news.
Raw onion and rock salt
This is among one of the most recent viral remedies. The claim was that eating raw onion with rock salt can cure Covid-19.
According to health experts, the combination cannot help in relief to COVID19 patients in any way. They recommend maintaining social distancing, wearing double mask, and proper sanitization.
“With home remedies widely popular among masses in India, these remedies might have some placebo effects but they are not a replacement for doctor’s prescriptions,” says Dr Ramesh.
PIB took to social media to share a post mentioning that the remedy has no scientific evidence and that the disease cannot be cured with it.