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Andhra Pradesh to send Nellore ayurveda practitioner’s ‘Covid drug’ to ICMR for efficacy test

The purported miracle cure for Covid-19, known as Krishnapatnam medicine or Krishnapatnam tonic, is viral on social media, prompting hundreds of people to queue up outside Bonigi Anandaiah’s home.

Krishnapatnam medicinePeople waiting in queues for the ayurvedic medicine for Covid treatment in Andhra Pradesh's Krishnapatnam. (Photo: Twitter/@Naveen_Tweetz_)

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday ordered scientific tests on an ayurveda medicine that is being distributed by an ayurveda practitioner in the port town of Krishnapatnam in Nellore district as a “cure” for Covid-19.

The ruling YSRCP MLA, K Govardhan Reddy, who is actively promoting the ayurveda medicine in the town, which is in his assembly constituency, told The Indian Express that it is a “miracle cure” for Covid-19.

“Several Covid-19 patients who took this ayurveda medicine showed good improvement and were cured. Bonigi Anandaiah is a renowned Ayurveda practitioner and he has found five medicinal combinations to cure Covid-19. His medicine is working… that is why there are so many people outside his house in Krishnapatnam,” said Reddy.

When asked about the large crowds outside that are not following Covid protocols, he said the security personnel posted are doing their best to ensure people maintain social-distancing. However, as several health department officials and former IAS officers, including former health secretary P V Ramesh, red-flagged the large gatherings as “a recipe for Covid disaster”, the AP government jumped into action.

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“Our MLA K Govardhan Reddy has been told not to promote or advertise this so-called miracle cure till the medical experts submit their reports. The CM is angry and upset over this,” an official said.

“The government has decided to send the ayurvedic medicine, which is rumoured to be a miracle cure for Covid-19, to the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) for a detailed study of its efficacy. The government has also decided to send a team of medical experts including Ayurveda doctors to Nellore to examine the formulation of the medicine,’’ the official added.

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On social media, the purported miracle cure for Covid-19, known as Krishnapatnam medicine or Krishnapatnam tonic, is viral prompting hundreds of people to queue up outside Anandaiah’s house.

Alarmed over a large gathering, and alerted by social media, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, who hails from Nellore district, asked Union Minister for Ayush Kiren Rijiju and ICMR Director Balram Bhargava to conduct a study on the medicine, and submit a report.

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An ICMR team has already reached Nellore to conduct the investigation alongside an AP team. Nellore District SP has rushed a contingent of policemen to control crowds in case they turn up over the weekend.

First uploaded on: 21-05-2021 at 18:41 IST
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