An Asian country fights Corona with a weapon, the incense plant, "the medicine for 100 diseases"

Turkmenistan has a "secret weapon" that protects it from the Covid-19 epidemic, which is the smoke produced by the burning of a plant with alleged medicinal advantages that the President of the Central Asian country praises, and who confirms that he is immune from the pandemic.

At the school where she teaches in the capital, Ashgabat, Aina Garayeva not only measures the pupils' temperature, but she regularly fumigates the class with cochineal, a plant that President Qurban Guli Berdy Mammadov enjoys.

"All we do is follow the instructions that we have been given," the 42-year-old teacher told Agence France-Presse.

Harmal has been used for a long time in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia to treat multiple diseases and lift scourge.

Indeed, in Turkmenistan, the name “Ioserlik”, meaning “medicine for 100 diseases,” is applied to this plant with a very strong smell.

It is witnessing a growing boom due to the epidemic.

In March, the President of Turkmenistan ordered the permanent fumigation of the portel, praising the plant's ability to eliminate bacteria and viruses.

Since the instructions were issued, the package price has increased five times, reaching 5 manat (1.17 euros).

Turkmenistan, as well as North Korea, claim that it is one of the rare countries where the epidemic has not spread.

In neighboring Uzbekistan, the famous doctor Bahram Almatov confirmed in local media that "there is no direct effect" of the plant on the virus, despite its medicinal advantages.

And the President of Turkmenistan is not the only leader in the world to declare, without any scientific evidence, the benefits of an alleged effective treatment against Covid-19.

In Africa in general and Madagascar in particular, many people resort to the artemisia plant.

The World Health Organization declined to comment on the alleged benefits of pregnancy, but indicated that traditional medicine "has a long history in many countries and is sometimes an important resource for health."

To ward off the risk of the emerging corona virus, health authorities recommend, before anything else, wearing a muzzle, observing social distancing, and washing hands regularly.

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