Despite users on the platform yammering on that drinking potato juice has cured their Strep A infection, some Tik Tok doctors have dubbed it “one of the most dangerous videos” they’ve ever been sent.
The group A streptococcus bacteria, which causes strep throat, is treatable and produces symptoms like a sore throat, fever, swollen and red tonsils, discomfort when swallowing, and more, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
If left untreated the bacterial infection, which is typically treated with antibiotics, can cause rheumatic fever or, in rare instances, death in infants and older people.
The cautions come as strep throat cases have increased dramatically due to a worldwide pandemic.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in December that it was looking into an increase in invasive group A strep cases in America, according to CNN.
Additionally, the World Health Organization noticed an increase in cases in the UK and other parts of Europe.
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According to the New York Post, DIY content producers have created a homoeopathic “remedy” for the illness that is becoming increasingly popular on TikTok.
Followers were instructed to juice a fresh potato and consume about a cup of it twice daily by a user who goes by the name Damien Michaels.
The drinker would be free of the infection in two to three days, according to his assertion that the root vegetable will “alleviate strep throat on contact.” Since then, the recording has been taken down for breaking community rules.
Self-described “Mom Coach” Allie Casazza claimed the potato elixir “freaking works” and that her daughter’s strep throat infection was “completely gone within two hours” in a since-deleted footage, according to the Daily Mail.
However, Dr Idrees Mughal, also known as Dr Idz on social media, advises against using potato juice to cure the “very contagious” infection. In a tape that has received over 150,000 views, he refers to Casazza’s clip as “one of the most dangerous videos I’ve ever been sent.”
@rubin_allergy Replying to @waitingtogo ♬ original sound – Dr. Rubin, MD
Dr Idz advised against using potato juice to treat children who had serious strep throat symptoms, pointing out that even if the symptoms were relieved, the infection was still present.
The idea of drinking potatoes wasn’t popular among many users in the Tik Tok comments, but others argued that they have antibiotic properties that can cure infections. Despite the fact that the antibiotic compound solanimycin originates from a microbe found in potatoes, clinical tests by Medical News Today claim that it works against fungus rather than bacteria.
In a TikTok video, Dr. Zachary Rubin, a paediatric allergist (and self-described bow tie enthusiast), clarified that while foods like potatoes may help cure strep symptoms, they do not actually kill the bacteria. Dr. Rubin says, “You need antibiotics for that.”
On TikTok, a woman who identified herself as a registered nurse concurred that antibiotics are the “correct” treatment for strep throat and may be “life-saving.”
A Canadian mother was given a three-year prison sentence in 2017 after her 7-year-old son died because she neglected to take him to the doctor while he was suffering from a severe case of strep throat, according to NetMums, a mom-influencer site. The death was referred to as “senseless.”
So it’s safe to say that a potato a day will not not keep strep throat away.
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