False posts touting 'home-made heart disease remedy' spread in crisis-hit Sri Lanka

The false claim was shared more than 1,500 times since it was posted on Facebook on October 9, 2022.

The lengthy Sinhala-language post claims that a recipe of apple cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, lemon and honey saved a person from dying of heart disease.

It translates, in part: "My father had a near-death experience due to a heart attack about two years ago. He was advised to undergo a bypass surgery, but we did not consent to it.

"While we continued to try various other alternative medications to no avail, a friend of my brother shared this remedy.

"Even though we did not have a lot of faith in it, my father used it continuously for more than a year alongside his other prescribed medications. Afterwards, his echocardiography results indicated that all the blocks in his arteries were cleared."

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Screenshot of the Facebook post captured on October 14, 2022

The same claim has been circulating on Facebook since at least 2019 -- for example here and here.

It recirculated as supplies of surgical equipment and life-saving drugs have been almost exhausted in Sri Lanka. Chronic petrol shortages have also left many patients and doctors unable to travel for treatment.

Multiple health experts, however, warned those with heart disease against relying on the purported remedy touted by the posts.

'No scientific evidence'

"There is no scientific evidence or backing for this claim," said Dr Gnanamoorthy Mayurathan, president of the Sri Lanka College of Cardiology.

"If a patient has been advised to undergo a coronary bypass surgery, it is important to follow that advice. Following remedies and self-medicating will only further complicate the condition that may even end up in a fatality," he added.

Dr L. P. A. Karunathilake, a senior lecturer of indigenous medicine at the University of Colombo, told AFP that while garlic and honey are seen as effective in lowering cholesterol levels in the practice of indigenous medicine, combining these with other substances could lead to complications.

"With prolonged use, anything we consume will either stop providing the benefits it is meant to offer or will leave complications," he told AFP.

In an article published on April 11, 2019, the Harvard Medical School also debunked claims that apple cider vinegar can clean out arteries.

"There's no evidence to back up most of these apple cider vinegar claims," the article said.

"Apple cider vinegar is a terrific ingredient in foods, sauces, and dressings. It isn't medicine."

AFP has previously debunked misinformation touting home remedies in Sri Lanka, for example that milk porridge kills cancer cells.