A post claiming that a homoeopathic medicine called 'Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200 CH' can cure dengue in just two days has gone viral on social media platforms.
The claim comes at the backdrop of increased number of dengue cases in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and some other states.
However, we found that while the medicine is one of the drugs that is prescribed for dengue fever, the claim that it can cure the disease in two days is false.
We also spoke with doctors who said that one should not take the medicine without consulting a homeopathic doctor as the symptoms of the patient should match the drug.
CLAIM
The viral post carried a photograph of the medicine bottle along with a caption that read, "डेंगू को 48 घंटे में समाप्त करने की क्षमता रखने वाली दवा । कृपया इस संदेश को अधिक से अधिक लोगो तक भेजे महत्वपूर्ण सूचना यदि किसी को डेंगू या साधारण बुखार के कारण प्लेटलेट्स कम हो गयी है तो एक होमोपेथिक दवा है | EUPATORIUM PERFOIAM 200 liquid dilution homeopathic medicine (sic)."
(Translation: A drug with the ability to eliminate dengue in 48 hours. Please send this important message to maximum number of people for someone who has low platelets due to dengue or simple fever.)
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We conducted a keyword search for the medicine on Google and found websites and news articles which mentioned the use of "Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200 CH" as one of the drugs for the treatment of dengue fever. It was also mentioned on a government website called 'Vikaspedia'.
A link to the page can be found here.
(Source: Screenshot/Vikaspedia)
Further Vikaspedia stated that, "further research in this area is still being undertaken" in using Eupatorium Perfoliatum as a preventive for dengue fever. However, none of the websites or reports mentioned anything about it curing dengue in two days.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is no specific treatment for dengue. Patients need to be treated based on their symptoms.
The Quint contacted the president, Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association, Dr Piyush Joshi, who reiterated the same. According to Dr Joshi, Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200 CH might be one of the medicines that can work in the treatment of Dengue fever but it can't be the only medicine for treating the disease.
"I would not recommend that people treat themselves by buying Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200 CH over-the-counter to treat Dengue. They should consult a homoeopathic doctor before taking any medicine as their symptoms might need them to take some other medicine," Dr Joshi said.
Therefore, there is no evidence to support the claim that Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200 CH can completely cure Dengue fever let alone in 48 hours.
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