The extract of a highly toxic plant is being promoted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, despite no scientific evidence that it is effective in treating or preventing COVID-19. Yahoo News Medical Officer Dr. Dara Kass explains why this is so dangerous.
Video transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]DARA KASS: Recently you may have heard about this drug oleandrin as a potential cure for this coronavirus. So we wanted to explain a little bit about why it is so dangerous for anyone to consider this drug as a treatment or cure for the coronavirus.
ANDERSON COOPER: How are you different from a snake oil seller? You have no medical background. There is no evidence of this. It is not tested in animals as humans.
MIKE LINDELL: Do you know what, Anderson? I have done my due diligence. I think my platform stands on its own, the platform that God gave me of integrity and trust.
DARA KASS: What is oleandrin? Well, it’s an extract of the oleander plant. But just because something grows in nature does not make it safe. If you take these herbs and take them so that you are overdosed, you may have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, and heart arrhythmias. When those heart rhythms get worse, you can even begin to abuse them. And unfortunately, if those arrhythmias get so bad, they can kill you.
At present there are no medical indications to ever take the oleander plant. That looks at one study that was not peer reviewed in an experiment in a Petri dish, this toxin was shown to inhibit the coronavirus. Unfortunately, humans are not Petri dishes. In the demand for treatments and cures for this coronavirus we can try many ideas. And probably, that was what these scientists did. They came up with an idea that they never expected to get their hands on from people looking for a quick fix or cure for this coronavirus.
Many people have asked me if they find out that there is a new medication, something that comes over the counter, comes from a plant, does not sound so dangerous, should they just take it for granted? What should they lose? If you have a question about a medication, whether it needs a prescription or not, whether it comes from a plant or not, you should ask your doctor. You have to look to scientists. When someone goes on TV and tells you that they have the answer, something that has been missed by all the scientists and all the doctors, you have to ask yourself what is their motive. If you find that they have a financial interest in taking a medication that has not been proven by science, my best advice is to just run away.
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