Following an unprecedented economic crisis that has severely impacted Sri Lanka's healthcare system, false posts with hundreds of shares on Facebook have touted a mix of apple cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, lemon and honey as an effective remedy for heart disease. These posts claim the concoction unblocks clogged arteries and helps sick patients forego heart surgery. But multiple health experts told AFP there is no scientific basis to support the claim, and warned that substituting medical care with unproven home-made remedies could be fatal.

The false claim was shared more than 1,500 times since it was posted on Facebook on October 9, 2022.

The lengthy Sinhala-language post claims that a recipe of apple cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, lemon and honey saved a person from dying of heart disease.

It translates, in part: "My father had a near-death experience due to a heart attack about two years ago. He was advised to undergo a bypass surgery, but we did not consent to it.

"While we continued to try various other alternative medications to no avail, a friend of my brother shared this remedy.

"Even though we did not have a lot of faith in it, my father used it continuously for more than a year alongside his other prescribed medications. Afterwards, his echocardiography results indicated that all the blocks in his arteries were cleared."

The same claim has been circulating on Facebook since at least 2019 -- for example here and here.

It recirculated as supplies of surgical...

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