Pineapple not the remedy for coronavirus

KABUL (Pajhwok): Medical experts have rejected rumours that the pineapple is an anti-coronavirus fruit. They say the fruit is beneficial for the human body but does not cure the coronavirus.

Following the spread of the coronavirus, many people have been looking for healthy foods to combat the virus. But so far, no beneficial food has been proposed against the pandemic.

Rumours:

Some news websites and social media recently released reports titled: “Pineapple tree leaves are a new weapon against the coronavirus”, and “Pineapple defeats the corona” and “Pineapple is an anti-corona fruit.”

The Emna news website released an article titled: “Pineapple is an anti-corona fruit.” It reads: “The results of a new research conducted in the US showed that pineapple fruit leaves contain an enzyme called bromelain, which has anti-virus properties and helps fight the coronavirus.”

The article added that bromelain had already been shown to treat inflammation and various other ailments, but it was not known how much it would be efficacious against the coronavirus.

The 55 Online News Centre also published an article headlined “Pineapple beats the coronavirus.”

It reads the pineapple family and roots of plants in this family had a powerful anti-virus quality that could be used to treat Covid and prevent its spread.

By the same token, the “Bank of Physicians” site published an article titled “Pineapple tree leaves a new weapon against the corona.”

The result of a new research conducted in Australia shows pineapple leaves contain an enzyme called bromelain, which has anti-virus properties to fight coronavirus.

According to a new daily report, researchers hope to be able to use pineapple leaves in the future to produce drugs that help treat the virus.

A twitter user, Afghan star, wrote on his account: “You can treat coronavirus with lemon and pineapple juice.”

Dai Ramiz tweeted: “A well-known doctor said the properties of jujube and pineapple work well in the treatment of the coronavirus.”

Ahmad Jawad, a resident of Kabul who came to the market to buy the pineapple, told Pajhwok he had learned about the effects of the fruit through Facebook.

He added his mother was currently suffering from Covid and that he was buying the fruit for her to recover.

Fact check:

Dr. Hakimullah Saleh, director of the Association of Psychiatrists of Afghanistan, spurned the claims that the pineapple was anti-coronavirus fruit. He said the pineapple and other fruits had a beneficial nature and boosted the immune system.

“Viruses could not be killed even by drugs. What will the fruit do?”

Dr. Hashmatullah Faizi, in charge of the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Afghan-Japan Hospital, confirmed the use of the pineapple did not have a significant effect on the prevention of the coronavirus.

He called the consumption of vegetables and fruits beneficial for Covid patients. “This fruit (pineapple) is not effective against the virus.”

According to these medical experts, medicines and vaccines, approved by the World Health Organization, should be used.

But the Ministry of Public Health says fruits and vegetables are good for the human body as a whole but they could not cure the virus.

Dr. Mirwais Alizai, deputy spokesman for the MoPH, explained no health organisation had so far recommended the use of the fruit for the treatment of the coronavirus.

Alizai called on citizens to take advantage of things that had been found effective by WHO.

Outcome:

Some social media users have published articles on the effectiveness of the pineapple as treatment for Covid-19. But medical experts scorn such suggestions.

Verdict: The pineapple is not an anti-Covid drug and this claim has not been confirmed yet.

sa/mud

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