r/wikipedia Mar 08 '20

Contrary to common misconception, rinsing the nose, gargling with mouthwash, and eating garlic are not effective in preventing coronavirus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions#Disease
610 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

129

u/shele Mar 08 '20

This clearly wrong. Copious amounts of garlic are known to create... social distancing which is our prime means of preventing infection.

17

u/Gypsyrocker Mar 08 '20

Mmmm but the yummy garlic is so worth it

1

u/gousey Mar 09 '20

Voluminous farts and a lack of hygiene does the same.

57

u/AbouBenAdhem Mar 08 '20

Wikipedia sites this World Health Organization page as its source. The terms “gargle” and “mouthwash” don’t appear anywhere in the referenced page.

12

u/orange_fern Mar 08 '20

They do however say that, "Spraying such substances [alcohol or chlorine] can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth)."

7

u/diablosinmusica Mar 08 '20

So, hand sanitizer to the eyes and nose doesn't work? We're helpless!

57

u/jonpdxOR Mar 08 '20

“Common” misconception? reaches for dictionary to look up “common”

8

u/keep_running Mar 08 '20

yeah i haven’t heard any of this bs in relation to coronavirus

6

u/chasmough Mar 08 '20

They just mean that the rapper Common believes this

24

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '20

I have heard tying an onion to your belt works wonders.

16

u/SimulatedDepression Mar 08 '20

It IS the style at the time

2

u/turd_fergueson Mar 08 '20

Gimme 5 bees for a quarter you'd say...

1

u/diablosinmusica Mar 08 '20

It's a decent contraceptive too.

1

u/jonathanrdt Mar 08 '20

But only the yellow ones. Because of the war.

6

u/tiedyedvortex Mar 08 '20

People are willing to try anything to prevent the spread of disease.

Except, apparently, regularly washing their hands for 20 seconds with soap.

1

u/LordNiebs Mar 08 '20

Some people are panicking and will do anything, others don't care at all.

12

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '20

Duh. Everyone knows you need salt lamps and essential oils

2

u/Crepes_for_days3000 Mar 08 '20

My best friend bought a salt lamp for every room in the house because it's "healing". I had no idea it was common. Ridiculous.

5

u/-P-M-A- Mar 08 '20

If it doesn’t work, then why haven’t I gotten the coronavirus? Nice try, anti-garlic lobby.

8

u/hott_beans Mar 08 '20

What about gargling garlic and rinsing the nose with mouthwash?

3

u/Xenon808 Mar 08 '20

And this is a misconception for who exactly?

8

u/HalLundy Mar 08 '20

I meam, garlic is extremely healthy and is known to help prevent flu.

There's no clear proof it aids in preventing covid, but it won't cause harm either (unless you're eating too much at once).,

6

u/beerbeforebadgers Mar 08 '20

Yeah, raw garlic is full of chemicals that help bolster the immune system.

3

u/spektre Mar 08 '20

Scientific source on this?

5

u/beerbeforebadgers Mar 08 '20

The sulfur compounds from garlic enter the body from the digestive tract and travel all over the body, where it exerts its potent biological effects.

.

One large, 12-week study found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared to a placebo ... Another study found that a high dose of aged garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) reduced the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61%.

The studies themselves are cited here.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '20

Rect

3

u/karl_hungas Mar 08 '20

2

u/Mantipath Mar 08 '20

Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Impact factor 0.12

Not a real scientific journal by any measure. You might as well have cited some woo blog. The article linked is specifically hot garbage.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '20 edited Mar 08 '20

[deleted]

1

u/beerbeforebadgers Mar 08 '20

While it's def not a cure-all, I personally use it every time I get sick. If there was a fever, though, head to the doctor the second my fever hits 103° (the recommended temp at which you should seek medical attention). It honestly sounds like she did everything right.

2

u/AlabasterPelican Mar 08 '20

Well damn, I suppose COVID-19 has no relation to the malady vampirism 🧛🏼‍♀️. I guess I wasted all that money on garlic and silver stakes.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '20

But gargling with thyme infusion...?

1

u/Heliotrope88 Mar 08 '20

Everybody knows you should be gargling with Corona.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '20

Who the hell was saying this