Homeopath claims treating Covid-19 with herbs

SHEBERGHAN (Pajhwok): A man in northern Jawzjan province, who has treated hundreds of different diseases through herbs, claims having a remedy to cure Covid-19 patients. The herbal medicine is handed to dozens of people daily, he says.

But doctors say there is no cure for the virus in the world other than vaccines. Doctors want people to follow health guidelines instead of using herbs.

Faizullah Makhdoom, a 70-year-old resident of Shiberghan, the provincial capital, has been treating patients with herbs for the past 50 years at his shop-type clinic.

In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, he said there were hundreds of herbs in the country that could be used to make medicines for various ailments. Such herbal drugs could be safely distributed to patients.

Faizullah, while asking two clients about their illness, said 10 to 20 people, including women, visited him for the purchase of herbal drugs on a daily basis.

“I have treated many patients with herbal remedies. After the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, I made medicine for the virus too,” added Faizullah, who learnt homeopathy from his parents.

Without providing information on the composition of the Covid-19 drug, he said: “Out of 10 herbs, a decoction (joshandah) has been prepared for Covid-19 patients to drink and stay safe from the infection.”

He added even people from neighboring provinces came to purchase the remedy. “I charge each patient 150 to 400 afghanis for this treatment.”

The homeopath continued: “Usually patients believing in the efficacy of herbal treatment visit me.”

Makhdoom’s drug cures Covid-19 patients: residents

Hamidullah, whose wife contracted the coronavirus 20 days ago, used the Makhdom’s remedy and recovered. He has now decided to buy his spouse more herbal medicine from him.

Standing in a long queue of people seeking to buy the remedy, he told Pajhwok: “My wife was suffering from the disease. Her condition was very bad. A friend advised me to buy her Makhdoom’s medicine. I bought the herbal drug and she recovered after drinking it.”

Though he did not know the composition of the medicine or what herbs were used to make it, yet he said: “I have come here to buy his drug for relieving foot pain.”

Murad Mushfiq, another applicant, said his daughter had a liver disease, which could not be treated within the country or abroad. But her condition improved after she used Makhdoom’s remedy.

“She followed Makhdoom’s advice for about one and a half month. My daughter no longer complains of pain or other health issues. When she underwent a test, no issue was found in my daughter’s liver.”

“We have since been regularly consulting this healer and using his medication,” he added.

Abdul Ghani, a resident of Shiberghan who also came to buy the drug, hailed Makhdoom’s medication as good treatment for coronavirus patients.

He argued: “The reason why I and my family members use herbal medicine is that it is harmless and cheap.”

According to him, herbal medication has no side-effects and he has recovered from Covid-19 after using it.

After the spread of the coronavirus, he recalled, many patients used Makhdoom’s medicine instead of drinking tea.

Observe health guidelines instead of using herbals: doctors

But Dr Nabil Paktin, an associate professor at Rabia Balkhi Hospital and a specialist in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, said no cure has yet been developed for Covid-19 disease except vaccine.

He urged people to follow health guidelines (keep one-meter distance, wear a mask, wear gloves, wash hands regularly with soap and spray surrounding area.

Meanwhile, Marzia Faqirzada, head of health research at the Jawzjan Public Health Department, told Pajhwok that some individuals were selling drugs to people in different parts of the country in the name of Covid-19 medicines.

She stressed that in the world of medicine no cure had yet been developed for the treatment of coronavirus and people should not be deceived by these individuals.

She said some herbal specialists were operating illegally and without a license, and that the Jawzjan Department of Public Health was not clamping down on those operating in the traditional way.

She also urged residents of the province to take health guidelines seriously and vaccinate themselves if possible.

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It is not only Makhdoom who claims to have treated coronavirus patients with herbs, but also Mohammad Hakim Alokozai, another such physician in Kandahar who had previously claimed to have made medicine from herbs.

Public health officials have said at the time that the drug made by Alokozay had no benefit, but for a short time it reduces the body pain that patients become addicted to.

According to them, the investigation revealed that the drug had no scientific basis, because so far, no such medicines have been developed in the world.

Sa/mud

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