Fact Check: Post claiming Chikoo can cure coronavirus is fake

New Delhi (Vishvas News): A post doing rounds on social media shows a Times of India newspaper cutting with the article titled, “Chikoo The Covid Killer.” The article claims that the fruit Chikoo can cure Covid-19. Vishvas News investigated the post and found the claim to be fake. Also, the photo shown in the post is altered.

Claim

A viral post on social media shows a Times of India newspaper cutting with the article titled, “Chikoo The Covid Killer.” The article reads, “Cure to Covid-19 has been found in local fruit Sapota, commonly known as Chikoo.” The archived version of the post can be checked here.

Investigation

Vishvas News started its investigation by carefully observing the viral photo. We found the photo is clearly altered. The image purported to be the Times of India cutting has neither any date nor the location of the edition. These details generally go in the header.

We further observed and found that a clear discrepancy can be seen in the fonts and the alignment of the text.
When we checked the website of The Times of India, we found that it does not show any such article in the digital version as seen in the viral post.

We researched various authentic reports but none of them suggest Chikoo can cure Covid-19.

Neither World Health Organization (WHO) nor Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), or ICMR have listed Chikoo in the available treatments for COVID-19.

Being rich in nutrients, chikoo is a storehouse of Vitamin E, A, and C, all of which are great for skin health and has amazing moisturizing properties. The presence of antioxidants like ascorbic acid, polyphenols, and flavonoids help in reducing wrinkles and makes your skin plumper.

But, there is no evidence that chikoo cures Covid-19.

Vishvas News contacted Dr. Anant Parashar, general physician and an expert who worked extensively in the treatment of patients suffering from coronavirus. He said: “Chikoo is a fruit rich in antioxidants and can help in boosting immunity. But, it is doesn’t cure coronavirus.”

We scanned the Facebook page ‘Health & Education for all’ that shared the viral post. We found that the page had 1866 followers till this fact check was done.