Turkmenistan president claims Licorice can cure coronavirus

There have been many claims in India of 'cures' of coronavirus but President of Turkmenistan has, once again, joined list of international leaders who prescribed bizarre medicine for coronavirus pandemic. However, he is well-known for his surprising botanical claims. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has now said that Licorice can cure COVID-19 infection. The country is still claiming that there hasn't been a single case of infection there.

"Scientists from every country are looking for effective cures, running various studies, and one of them could be licorice root," the leader of the authoritarian ex-Soviet country told ministers.

Without citing any scientific evidence, former dentist Berdymukhamedov claimed that "licorice stops the coronavirus from developing" and "even a weak concentration of a water-based extract has a neutralising effect."

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Turkmenistan has "sufficient reserves" of licorice, he added, ordering the national academy of sciences to study the plant's supposed health effects.

Berdymukhamedov had already in March recommended that people "systematically" burn wild rue, a strong-smelling plant believed to have medicinal properties, to combat the coronavirus, sending prices skyrocketing.

The leader has a long history of moves aimed at boosting his country's fauna and flora.

While global health authorities have long recommended wearing masks, social distancing and regular hand-washing to slow the spread of the virus, it took a July visit from a World Health Organization delegation for Turkmenistan to adopt the measures.