African countries to import Madagascar’s herbal tonic dubbed as Covid-19 ‘cure’: Report

African countries including Tanzania, Congo-Brazzaville, and Guinea-Bissau are set to import a herbal tonic from Madagascar dubbed as the world’s first Covid-19 ‘cure’ according to media reports.

Madagascar last week had announced that it was launching its herbal tonic as a cure to the novel coronavirus even as the World Health Organization has warned that there is no proof of any definitive cure of Covid-19.

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina last week had tweeted that the country had delivered a shipment of the tonic to Guinea-Bissau.

“Special Envoy of the President of Equatorial Guinea, Deputy Minister of Health @MitohaOndo arrived on Malagasy soil to recover the Tambavy CovidOrganics / preventive and curative,” he tweeted.

John Magufuli, the president of Tanzania, is also sending a plane to Madagascar to acquire the herbal tonic for Covid-19, BBC reported. Congo-Brazzaville's president has also promised to import the cure, it said.

The tonic is made from the artemisia plant - the source of an ingredient that is used in the treatment of malaria.

The tonic was launched as Covid-Organics and was marketed as a cure for the infection after being tested on less than 20 people over a period of three weeks, Lova Hasinirina Ranoromaro the Tanzanian president's chief of staff had told the BBC.

The WHO has advised people against self-medicating with the cure post its launch.

The WHO said in a statement had said that it did not recommend "self-medication with any medicines... as a prevention or cure for Covid-19," the report said.

The WHO is currently in the process of conducting international trials for vaccines and therapeutics for Covid-19 including its global Solidarity trial.

COMMENT NOW