COVID-19: Inhaling camphor increases blood oxygen level? Here's the truth

Several prescriptions for COVID-19 treatment have gone viral on WhatsApp groups and Facebook, ranging from home remedies to Ayurveda and Unani prescriptions and audio and video advices. None of the remedies are certified or verified but people are lapping them up with an alarming urgency.

If you are an avid user of social media, then chances are that you may have stumbled upon a viral message which suggests that inhaling the vapour of camphor, clove, ajwain and eucalyptus oil can help increase oxygen levels.

Claim

The core content of the message says, "Camphor, lavang, ajwain, few drops of eucalyptus oil. Make a potli and keep smelling it throughout the day and night. Helps increase oxygen levels and congestion. This potli is also given to tourists in Ladakh when oxygen levels are low. Many ambulances are now keeping these too. It's a home remedy. Kindly share and help (sic)."

The truth

Please note that there is no scientific study to suggest that the camphor potli helps improve oxygen levels in the body.

An annual report on clinical toxicology by the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System in 2019 also warned against the inhalation or eating of non-medicinal doses of camphor. Such inhalation or ingestion of camphor can lead to severe poisoning within a few minutes. The adverse effect on children can be more serious.

As per US CDC's guidelines, inhalation of camphor vapours can lead to nose, throat and eye irritation. It can cause seizures, mental confusion, stomach ache and in higher concentration, it can also lead to death in some cases.

Dr R K Khanna, an ENT specialist, said that there was no logic behind smelling the camphor potli except reassuring oneself that the sense of smell is intact. "People have started putting the potli into their masks which could cause other health issues," he said.

Other COVID-19 myths

I have been closely monitoring the 'recipes' and I am completely flummoxed. One such recipe for patients in home isolation, recommends five teaspoons of cinnamon powder, taken with warm water. Cinnamon can actually increase the amount of carbon dioxide produced in the stomach, which restricts blood circulation by constricting your blood vessels. This helps you retain body heat and is counterproductive in summer," the IANS quoted Dr Narottam Kumar, a physician, as saying.

He said that advisories that recommend drinking 'kadha' (a concoction of spices) every two hours is also harmful.

"I have people who are developing ulcers by drinking too much 'kadha'," he said.