There have been several videos claiming that siddha, homeopathy and other such non-allopathic treatments being used to treat COVID-19 have been found to be effective. One video claims that a siddha practitioner from Tamil Nadu, Dr Thanikasalam had found a “cure” to treating the disease COVID-19, and further claims that two individuals who had contracted COVID-19 were cured within 3 days after being treated by the siddha practitioner. The video also goes onto claim that the individuals who had been treated by Dr Thanikasalam made a complete recovery.
This information is incorrect and the claims made in the video are not true.
While the state government has been distributing both nilavembu kudineer and kabasura kudineer in containment zones in an effort to improve immunity of individuals living in these areas, there has been no evidence to support that there have been cures found via non-allopathic practices. Both nilavembu and kabasura kudineer were also advised to be given to caregivers of those confirmed to be positive for COVID-19. However there have been no reports or studies which state that the use of nilavembu and kabasura kudineer would cure the disease.
Earlier in January, Dr Thanikasalam Veni, from Rathna Siddha Hospital in Chennai, had claimed that he had found a ‘cure’ for COVID-19. He claimed that the medicine which was formulated by him and a group of other doctors, would treat the infection within 60 hours. However, the claims have yet to be proven and thorough studies must be done. There is till date no vaccine or cure for COVID-19 with patients being treated based on their symptoms.
The Tamil Nadu government had previously introduced nilavembu kudineer to treat dengue and chikungunya. As per reports, the siddha medicine had been found to be effective in treating the acute phase of dengue infection, in lab environments. The state government had distributed nilavembu kudineer in 2017 for those who had been infected with dengue. Similarly, siddha doctors stated that kabasura kudineer is effective in treating those with swine flu.
As of Tuesday morning, there have been over 8000 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the state of Tamil Nadu.