A Catholic archbishop in the central African nation of Cameroon has claimed that he has developed two plant-based remedies for Covid-19. The remedies named 'Elixir Covid' and 'Adsak Covid', have already cured 3,000 coronavirus patients, the bishop claimed.
Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala diocese has practiced herbal medicines for several years and said he wanted to find a treatment for a 'war' (coronavirus) decimating the world. He said that a virus cannot defeat the world in this way, He, however, refused to disclose the composition of the two herbal medicines.
Last month, he presented the herbal remedy to Cameroon's Prime Minister Dion Ngute, on the instructions of the country's President Paul Biya, Kleda told Reuters. He further claimed to have cured around 3,000 COVID patients using his herbal medicines. Cameroon has reported 9,864 coronavirus cases and 276 deaths as per Worldometer. The country has one of the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the sub-Sahara Africa region.
WHO is Against Untested Traditional Remedies
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement that medicinal plants, hailed as cures for coronavirus "should be tested for efficacy and adverse side effects". It said that even if therapies are derived from traditional practice, their efficacy and safety should be established through rigorous clinical trials.
The world health body further cautioned against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies. It said that using products that have not been robustly investigated could put people's lives in danger. It might also instill a false feeling of security against coronavirus and distract them from preventive measures, such as washing hands, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
Madagascar's COVID cure
In April, the East African island nation of Madagascar touted an anti-malarial herbal drink as a preventive remedy against coronavirus. The drink, named 'Covid-Organics' was lauded by none other than the country's President at a press conference, where diplomats, ministers and journalists sipped the drink, along with the President Andry Rajoelina, Time reported.
Within days after its launch, several African nations, as well as Haiti, started asking for shipments. Currently, there is no cure for Covid-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus, which has infected 8.2 million people worldwide and killed 446,135.
