False: Ayurvedic practitioner Anandaiah's herbal medicine cures COVID-19.

By: Ranjini K
January 27 2022

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Anandaiah's herbal remedies are not backed by clinical or scientific evidence to validate as a cure. WHO affirms there is no cure for COVID-19 yet.With COVID-19 rampant in many countries, health departments worldwide are increasing the medical supplements to support their nations. The second wave has severely hit India, causing more mortality than the first wave. Vaccination drive has begun to combat the transmission of COVID-19. Ayurvedic practitioner Bonige Anandaiah, from Andhra Pradesh, asserted that his natural remedy effectively cures COVID-19. As word spread, hundreds of people from the surrounding villages began flocking to the town to obtain free medication and eye drops. Anandaiah has been practicing herbal medicine for numerous years and claims that his COVID-19 therapy has 18 distinct herbal constituents. District officials, acting on orders from the state government, immediately stopped Anandaiah from administering the drug as thousands of people rushed to his clinic, violating the COVID-19 limitations, Hindustan Times reports. In a press meet, AP Ayush Commissioner Ramulu said the medicine is safe and does not contain harmful substances. However, it cannot be certified as Ayurvedic medicine for COVID-19 as it needs to be assessed and tested under the norms of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Studies are ongoing with 500 participants, and if the research is successful, the state government will plan further steps. A team of Ayurveda experts from Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam(TTD) and state government chief whip Dr. Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy met the Ayurvedic practitioner. They collected the samples of the herbal medicine and the ingredients for testing. TTD experts certified that herbal medicine had no side effects and is a great immunity booster that helps faster recovery from COVID-19, reports The Times of India. According to News Minute, Anandaiah gave out eye drops to aid COVID-19 patients whose blood oxygen levels decreased. He prepared the drops, including honey, tailed pepper, and the pulp of a certain brinjal species. Thousands of people received this herbal medicine. One of the patients named Kotaiah, a retired headmaster who claimed to feel better after using the Krishnapatnam herbal eye drops, was later admitted to an Intensive Care Unit with oxygen with a complaint of irritation and redness in the eye. The doctor diagnosed, saying he suffered from chemical conjunctivitis, adding that many patients in the hospital had been the victims of herbal medicine. "We have seen around 24 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital who had taken Anandaiah's treatment." M N Harendhira Prasad, the Joint Collector of Nellore, said that Kotaiah was brought to a hospital on May 23 with a CT severity score of more than 20. According to a doctor, he is on oxygen support in the ICU, with his blood oxygen levels oscillating about 85. On May 31, Kotaiah passed away in Government General Hospital, Nellore. The cause of death is yet to be disclosed. Andhra Pradesh Ayush commissioner Ramulu Naik said, "It has to be found out if the herbal preparations prepared by Anandaiah caused any ill-effects on health, and a report in this regard might come in about a week." The people administered with Anandaiah's medicine have not yet medically tested negative for COVID-19. Andhra Pradesh government on May 31 gave the nod for using Anandaiah's herbal medicine without the eye drops. Andhra Pradesh High court is also hearing the case on this. World Health Organization maintains that there is currently no licensed medication to cure COVID-19. Therefore, the ayurvedic practitioner's medicine in Andhra Pradesh could be an immunity booster to fight against pathogens, but no scientific or clinical evidence shows it could "cure" COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.