The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned that medicinal plants as Artemisia annua that has been touted as possible treatments for COVID-19, should be tested for efficacy and side effects before masses are allowed to use it.Cure Corona Virus
WHO clarified that it supports scientifically proven traditional medicine, arguing that complementary and alternative medicine had many benefits as race to find a cure for COVID-19 sparks renewed interests in plants such as Artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood.
In Madagascar, President Andry Rajoelina has been pushing for the plant based cure but upto now the herbal mix has not been scientifically tested. Many African leaders including Tanzania’s John Magufuli has pledged to place orders and some have recieved the consignments of the herbal treatment.
WHO said it is already working with research institutions to select traditional medicine products that can be further investigated for clinical efficacy and safety as the search for COVID-19 treatment continues.
It advised that caution must be taken against misinformation on the effectiveness of certain remedies as efforts are under way to find the cure for COVID-19.
Pointing that many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimum requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy, the global health body added that the use of products that have not been robustly investigated may expose people to even more serious dangers as it can give them a false sense of security and distract them from preventive measures.
The warninf comes as two more African countries join the list of patrons for Madagascar’s purported cure for COVID-19. A part fromTanzania, Comoros also confirmed their interest in the herbal cure over the weekend.
The Comorian president, Azali Assoumani, held a teleconference with his Malagasy counterpart, Andry Rajoelina when the formal request for the product was made.
Rajoelina rushed to post a screenshot of their meeting on Twitter with the caption and captioned it “He (Assoumani) wishes to benefit from CovidOrganics for Comoros. We will supply them as a sign of solidarity with our brothers in the Indian Ocean. madagascar-virus-cure.
Madagascar began easing lockdown on April 21 with public transport resuming in the capital Antananarivo with selected high schools scheduled to reopen.
