Herbal drug for dengue – Scientific or Dangerous

The editorial column of The Hindu dated October 18, 2017 entitled “fever and faith’ speaks volumes and volumes of truth about the politics and gamble that are happening in our health care system in the name of faith, tradition and religion. It is so unfortunate that the Government of Tamil Nadu is not only patronizing all such occultism, but also promoting such practices to poor people as wonderful medical science. Promoting the usefulness of some faith healing practices is no bad idea but can India support all such unscientific and untested concepts as advanced medical science and continuously produce graduates from such system as doctor and generously gift them to poor people in rural India.

Whenever we encounter an epidemic, should we address the real problem or we should fool the innocent people, divert their attention and offer some magic remedies to settle the likely political storm while the real problem remain unattended.

Can this be the working style of any elected Government to its people? Certainly no one would disagree that people of this country must change and must question the validity and scientific merit of every initiative of the Government. The people have not yet developed such capability and awareness should not be seen as an advantage by the elected Government to engage in promoting some unscientific practices to manage the health problems especially when the problem is growing in an epidemic and pandemic proportion.

Has the Government ever asked the scientific merit of Nilavembu Kudineer for Dengue or any other disease? The studies of Ranbaxy Research Centre, Gurgoan Delhi has clearly shown that Andrographis paniculata does not have any effect on all 4 sero vars of Dengue virus (Reference: “Cissampelos pareira Linn: Natural Source of Potent Antiviral Activity against All Four Dengue Virus Serotypes”, PLOS- Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol:10:1371,2015).

When the Government promote all such obscurant concepts as science par excellence equal to allopathic system, may poor people are likely to opt such unverified treatment methods as sufficient for treating Dengue and may worsen their health problems. Do we know how many people may have innocently ignored the early stage of Dengue purely because they have already taken Nilavembu kudineer.

Why the Health Secretary of Tamil Nadu, who is well trained in medical science is not raising these questions. Let us leave aside the politicians because at best they play politics with everything. But how the intelligent bureaucracy can agree to promote all such occult concepts and cause medication health fraud.

Promoting the ancient health care practices purely for paramedical benefits and limiting the services of all those graduates from such system for paramedical services and assisting doctors from allopathic system will certainly offer some use to our society.

Instead, playing politics or muddle our scientifically proven allopathic science with occultism will certainly bring ignominy and disgrace to the scientific temperament of our nation.

Our politicians should leave the health care system from playing politics. Advanced science not occultism, proven treatment not tradition, facts and science and not faith and occultism our medical system must follow. Both our politicians and bureaucrats must support science and proven facts if not, at best, they should do no harm.

Dr S Ranganathan