This is what wolfsbane looks like, from which the president of Kyrgyzstan proposed a tincture as a remedy for coronavirus. As quarantines are lifted and vaccination campaigns are launched around the world, Kyrgyzstan has found its own cure for the coronavirus. This is Issyk-Kul root (aconite or Dzhungar wrestler), which tops the World Health Organization’s list of poisonous plant preparations. The country’s 52-year-old president, Sadyr Japarov, proposed using it to treat patients with Covid-19, and the health minister drank a tincture of aconite live on air during a press conference after speaking about underground clinical trials.
“Those who have a mild form of COVID-19 can recover within one to two days if they take this medicine, and those who have a severe form of the disease can recover within three to four days. We have already cured about 300 patients in this way,” said Alymkadyr Beishenaliyev.
The minister also said that clinical trials of the drug have been conducted in hospitals across the country for the past two weeks. According to him, patients take the “medicine” voluntarily and under the supervision of doctors. And the results are tracked to provide evidence of the drug’s effectiveness. Beishenaliyev also mentioned that the president of the country personally determined the dosage of the “medicine” and participated in its preparation within a period of ten days. The decoction is already being used in the State Infectious Hospital. And the infectious disease doctors of the country have already received instructions on how to use aconite in treatment. “You just have to apply it in hot form, drink it, wrap yourself up and lie down. If you sweat, all the symptoms will go away. But if you use the medicine in cold form, it can cause spasms in the respiratory system and you can die, so be careful,” he warned the viewers.
The President’s extensive knowledge of wolfsbane since childhood. According to the minister, his father, who was a healer, successfully treated his close relatives with a similar tincture. Zhaparov himself shared a video of the production of the drug on his Facebook and Instagram pages the day of the press conference (Facebook later deleted the post, saying it contained misinformation). In his post, he urges citizens to get vaccinated and seek treatment in hospitals, as Kyrgyz doctors have found a treatment for Covid-19 in its early stages.
Zhaparov encourages people not only to seek treatment with Issyk-Kul root, but also to go to hospitals and get vaccinated. The presidential press service has confirmed that the social media accounts with videos about the tincture do indeed belong to Zhaparov. In an interview with the Kyrgyz service of the BBC in October 2020, he mentioned that he manages his own Facebook page because he does not trust copywriters. In the same interview, he also mentioned that he himself was infected with COVID-19 while in prison and recovered thanks to a special medication. “I don’t have time to deal with it yet, but we need to set up a commission with the Ministry of Health and conduct a trial of this medicine. Because I was sick myself. And those who were sick, we cured them. Honestly, when I was in prison, many employees of the financial police in Kara-Balta cured themselves thanks to this medicine, they didn’t take any other medicine. They were treated as a family, and I myself was cured thanks to this medicine,” Zhaparov said at the time. Journalists were informed by the President’s Office that the tincture would be prepared at the Head of State’s residence, where a specially equipped room would be set aside for the purpose.
The Issyk-Kul root grows in the Tian Shan, Pamir, Altai, and Primorye regions. The reaction to the statement of the president and the minister was intense. The head of the World Health Organization mission in Kyrgyzstan, Nazira Artykova, said that information about treating coronavirus infection with Issyk-Kul root tincture is most likely fake. The WHO emphasized that a drug that has not undergone clinical trials cannot be registered and recommended for widespread use by the population.
What is wolfsbane and what are its dangers?
The sap contained in the rhizome of the wolfsbane plant is one of the most powerful natural poisons. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of episodes should remain the same. End of story Promotional Podcasts Issyk-Kul root (Jungar aconite), wolf’s bane, or king’s grass grows in the Tian Shan, Pamir, Altai, and Primorye. Its stem is 60-80 centimeters long, its leaves are stiff and its flowers are violet. The root contains a potent poison that affects the central nervous, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. When ingested, wolfsbane sap irritates the gastrointestinal tract, causing severe burning and pain in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach, vomiting, and excessive salivation. Poisoning accompanied by coldness throughout the body, pallor, sudden weakness, develops rapidly. Death occurs due to cardiac and respiratory arrest. In medicine, aconite preparations are used only for external application. In Kyrgyzstan, there have been cases of poisoning with Issyk-Kul root after internal use. For example, in 2007, 11 residents of the village of Novopavlovka near the capital were poisoned with a tincture of Issyk-Kul root, and three of them died suddenly. In 2012, two employees of the Ministry of Health were also poisoned with aconite, only one of them was saved.
In a medical study of this plant, it is mentioned that “aconite is an extremely poisonous plant, its use in medicine is unacceptable and dangerous to life, even with traditional external use”. The same is stated on the label of the bottle from which the minister drank. “Issyk-Kul root. It is strictly forbidden to drink it chilled. This leads to fatal consequences. It is necessary to pour a teacup and boil it. The infusion is taken internally 4-5 times in hot form. The interval between intakes is 4 hours. A remedy for coronavirus, stomach cancer” – says the inscription on the bottle. Activists, outraged by the minister’s actions, have begun collecting signatures to hold him criminally responsible under several articles of the KR Criminal Code, including illegal experiments on patients and illegal production of drugs. The legality of the minister’s actions was questioned by the director of the Association of Harm Reduction Programs “Partner Network”, former chairman of the Public Council of the Ministry of Health, Aibar Sultangaziev. He stated that the medical institutions mentioned by the minister do not have the right to conduct any kind of clinical trials for drugs. “This is a flagrant violation of the Drug Marketing Act. In addition, individuals who participate in clinical trials must sign a consent form and be fully informed. During clinical trials, a contract is signed between the patient and the organization conducting the study. And in case of health damage, compensation must be paid. However, as far as I know, such contracts do not exist. There is also no compensation fund,” says Sultangaziev. Bermet Baryktabasova, an expert in evidence-based medicine and former advisor to the Ministry of Health, also explained why it is not possible to treat with Issyk-Kul root. According to her, due to its extreme toxicity, even in small doses, it is impossible to fully establish the beneficial effects of aconite. “This plant is one of the strongest and least studied poisons. It has taken many lives. All Kyrgyz know this root – uu korgoshun. The word “poison” is in the name itself,” says Bermet Baryktabasova. According to her, this is a blow to official medicine and health care in Kyrgyzstan.
Japarov is not the first president in Central Asia to find his cure for Covid-19. Earlier, the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, issued a decree requiring the fumigation of premises from coronavirus with smoke from dried harmala (yuzarlika or grave wormwood), while family members of the President of Uzbekistan, including his son-in-law, distributed uncertified coronavirus remedies from China. This drug is not registered in Uzbekistan and has not undergone proper clinical trials.