Recently, TikTok users have been promoting that drinking potato juice can cure strep throat caused by the group A streptococcus bacteria.
However, doctors warn against this trend, emphasizing that strep throat is a treatable infection requiring antibiotics.
Strep throat can cause a sore throat, fever, swollen and red tonsils, swallowing pain, and other symptoms.
If left untreated, the bacterial infection can lead to rheumatic fever or even death in children and older adults.
The warnings come as strep throat infections have skyrocketed this winter, with an increase in cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Despite claims by some TikTokers that their strep throat infection was cured by drinking potato juice, experts caution users against using this homoeopathic remedy.
While potatoes do contain an antibiotic compound called solanimycin, it works against fungus, not bacteria, according to clinical studies. Dr. Zachary Rubin, a pediatric allergist active on TikTok, explains that while foods such as potatoes might treat strep symptoms, antibiotics are necessary to kill the bacteria.
Doctors advise against self-treating strep throat with potato juice, emphasizing the importance of seeking medical advice and treatment.
A registered nurse who weighed in on the TikTok trend seconded that antibiotics are the correct treatment for strep throat and could be life-saving.
In 2017, a Canadian mother was sentenced to three years in prison after her 7-year-old son died because she failed to take the boy to the doctor while he suffered from a severe strep throat infection, which emphasizes the importance of seeking medical help when necessary.
»TikTok users have been promoting potato juice drink«
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