Fact check: Do kalonji seeds contain hydroxychloroquine used to treat coronavirus?

re have been loads of rumours when it comes to coronavirus cures or something as simple as what should be eaten or t to avoid getting COVID-19. In a recent rumour, people have been sharing on social media that kalonji seeds i.e. Nigella Sativa seeds contain hydroxychloroquine, which has been largely used as one of elements that help patients in recovery from coronavirus. se rumours thus ask people to consume seeds daily in order to keep COVID-19 away.

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Claim:

re have been many social media posts and claims that say that kalonji seeds are a great cure for coronavirus as it includes hydroxychloroquine. People have started giving advice to eat 7-8 pieces of Nigella Sativa every day. y have also claimed that t only it will cure coronavirus, it will also help one to avoid disease altoger.

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What is Hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine is essentially an anti-malarial drug. re have been many experiments conducted in US where patients with coronavirus were given drug. While drug has displayed antiviral effects on coronavirus, re are still many experiments to go until it is proven to be a fool-proof antidote for COVID-19. 

Rating: Fake

In an exclusive interview with Republic World, Padma Bhushan Dr Ramakanta Panda, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Asian Heart Institute, was asked about same rumour. He was asked about wher Kalonji seeds contain hydroxychloroquine used to treat coronavirus. He said:

. This is just a myth. I strongly recommend t using drug without any prescription. It is just being used on a trial basis. re is evidence of efficiency of drug. It is being given to two groups - 1. Healthcare workers and 2. Families of an infected person. 

I also strongly recommend that individuals with heart diseases do t consume it without a doctor's prescription as it might even lead to heart stopp.

Thymohydroquine in kalonji seeds was mistaken as Hydroxychloroquine

Origin:

claim of Kalonji seeds being effective on coronavirus was viral on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. As per an article on a news source,  a group of Algerian scientists had experimented Nigella Sativa with help of molecular docking, which is when various molecules are mixed for a scientific conclusion. y were found to be potential inhibitors of COVID-19, but that does t mean that y contain Hydroxychloroquine. As per a medical source, following is kalonji seeds composition:

fixed oil (32-40 %) contains: unsaturated fatty acids which includes: arachidonic, eicosadieic, lileic, lilenic, oleic, almitoleic, palmitic, stearic and myristic acid as well as beta-sitosterol, cycloeucalel, cycloartel, sterol esters and sterol glucosides (3-5).

volatile oil (0.4-0.45 %) contains saturated fatty acids which includes: nigellone that is only component of carbonyl fraction of oil, Thymoquine (TQ), thymohydroquine (THQ), dithymoquine, thymol, carvacrol, α and β-pinene, d-limonene, d-citronellol, p-cymene volatile oil of seed also contains: p-cymene, carvacrol, t-anethole, 4-terpineol and longifoline 

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Google Trends Analytics

Google Trends Analytics show that people have been searching about wher re are any kalonji seeds benefits and also wher kalonji seeds contain hydroxychloroquine. searches saw peak twice, once on April 8 and again on April 9. Check it out here:

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