Arsenicum album 30 has been recommended by the state governments in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. While the Maharashtra government is yet to take a formal decision, Mumbai civic authorities have been distributing the drug to high-risk populations in at least two wards. 

 

 

 

 

Arsenicum album 30 is made by heating arsenic with distilled water, a process repeated several times over three days. The health hazards of arsenic contamination in water are well known: long-term exposure to the metal can cause skin cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. According to the doctors, the Arsenicum album is considered to correct inflammation in body. It takes care of diarrhoea, cough and cold. A small bottle with one course costs Rs 20-30.

 

The article published by the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy note that Arsenicum album 30 is used commonly by homeopaths to treat anxiety, restlessness, cold, ulcerations, burning pains. It is taken in powder form or as a tablet.

 

 

On January 28, the the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) opined that “Arsenicum album 30 could be taken as preventive medicine against Coronavirus infections. The CCRH released a fact sheet stating this medicine is only a “possible prevention” against flu. The following day, the Ayush Ministry recommended taking the medicine for three days on an empty stomach and repeating the dose after a month if an outbreak continues locally.

 

Following the Ministry’s recommendations, various state governments and district authorities have started distributing the medicine, in some cases free.The Central Drug Standard Control Organisation last month issued a notification allowing private practitioners to try alternative remedies like Ayurveda and homoeopathy to treat Covid-19.

 

 

Dr Balram Bhargava, director of the Indian Council of Medical Research told The Indian Express, “We have issued no guidelines regarding the medicine.” The WHO has no guidelines on using Arsenicum album as a Covid-19 treatment either. “No evidence that it works,” WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said.

 

The Maharashtra government has set up a task-force to evaluate the homoeopathic drug and decide whether it should be used against Covid-19. Dr Archana Patil, joint director in the Public Health Department, said Maharashtra is allowing the drug’s use as an immunity booster, like vitamin C tablets, but not encouraging it as a prophylactic. “There is no scientific evidence that it works as prophylactic. So, we are not encouraging it universally for everyone,” she said.

 

The massive demand for the medicine has worried some homeopathic doctors, too. There have been no clinical trial or large-scale study to scientifically validate the use of Arsenicum album 30 as a preventive medication. The Ayush Ministry has based its recommendation on existing use of the medicine for respiratory illness and influenza. Several homeopaths have pointed out that each individual reacts differently to homeopathic medicines and one medicine cannot be universally held as a prophylactic for all. It can only be a part of the treatment, if at all.