Indian Authorities Propose Use of Homeopathy to Prevent Coronavirus

Critics of the practice say the guidance is irresponsible and could give users a false sense of security.

Written byAlakananda Dasgupta

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The Indian government’s Ministry of AYUSH, which promotes alternative medicine systems in the country, released a health advisory on January 29 that advocates the use of homeopathy and traditional remedies, such as Indian systems of medicine, to ward off infections of the newly circulating 2019-nCoV coronavirus. This includes the use of a homeopathic preparation called Arsenicum album 30C and two drops of sesame oil in each nostril each morning for prevention, and Unani medicines (treatments based on the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen) to mitigate symptoms of coronavirus infection. While AYUSH cites centuries of practitioners’ experiences with these products as evidence behind its advice, the media and the scientific community criticized the guidance as being counterproductive in dealing with a serious health emergency.

“It is profoundly irresponsible of the Ministry of AYUSH to endorse homeopathy as this entirely undermines public understanding of science and medicine, and ...

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Meet the Author

Alakananda Dasgupta
Alakananda Dasgupta is a freelance science journalist based in New Delhi, India, who contributes to The Scientist. She is a medical doctor and a pathologist by training. In 2018, she combined her interests in science and writing and became a science writer. She has done research previously in the field of immunology and is currently writing a book on the subject.
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