"Using 'Red Medicine' for Gargling, COVID Symptoms Disappear in 3 Days" Research Result... MFDS Says "Not Clearly Confirmed"

All Symptoms Disappear After 3 Days

A medical staff member is collecting a specimen from a citizen.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A study has found that gargling with diluted povidone-iodine, a disinfectant commonly known as 'red medicine,' can eliminate the coronavirus.

Italian medical scientist Claudio Blasi administered a 1% povidone-iodine aqueous solution twice daily via nasal inhalation to a 70-year-old COVID-19 patient and instructed the patient to gargle with the same solution for one minute.

As a result, the patient's body temperature gradually decreased, returned to normal within 24 hours, and all symptoms disappeared within three days.

Blasi published these findings in the June 2021 issue of the open-access international journal Cardiovascular Medicine Review.

Additionally, many studies have previously suggested that povidone-iodine is effective in eradicating the coronavirus.

Professor Park Man-sung's team at Korea University College of Medicine's Virus Disease Research Institute also reported in 2020 through the Journal of Bacteriology and Virology that "in vitro cell experiments showed that povidone-iodine reduced the COVID-19 virus by 99.99%."

The research team explained, "By applying a pharmaceutical product containing 0.45% povidone-iodine to test tubes cultured with the COVID-19 virus to evaluate antiviral effects, we confirmed that the product reduced the virus by 99.99%, demonstrating excellent virus inactivation effects."

Furthermore, a clinical trial conducted by Stanford University in the United States administered a 2% povidone-iodine solution to the nose 20 times without any toxicity issues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends gargling with a 1% povidone-iodine solution during COVID-19 infection.

Based on these research results, clinical trials have been conducted to treat COVID-19 by spraying povidone-iodine into the nose. However, meaningful results were not obtained because the drug did not sufficiently reach the deepest parts of the nasal cavity where the coronavirus is most prevalent.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety emphasized, "Clinical trials are underway in countries such as the United States and Canada to determine whether povidone-iodine spray prevents COVID-19, but results have not yet been announced, so it is not clearly confirmed whether it is effective in preventing COVID-19 in humans."

They added, "When using, be sure to follow the indicated application areas and usage methods for each product, such as skin, throat, and oral cavity (inside the mouth). Do not use for ophthalmic purposes such as putting it in the eyes, or for oral ingestion or drinking."

They also warned, "Pharmaceuticals containing povidone-iodine may cause thyroid dysfunction due to iodine if used excessively or for a long time. Therefore, they should not be used by patients with thyroid dysfunction, renal failure patients, those with iodine hypersensitivity, newborns, or infants under six months old."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.