Fact Check: Can burnt coconut shell mixed with pure honey cure asthma?

Can burnt coconut shell mixed with pure honey cure asthma?

Claim:

A video circulating on Instagram claims to offer a cure for asthma. The video suggests taking fresh coconut shells, breaking them into small pieces, and burning them on both sides until they become black. Then, grind the burnt coconut shells in a mortar and pestle to create a fine powder. The video recommends combining 1 teaspoon of pure honey with 2 pinches of coconut shell powder and mixing them well. The user said that taking this daily on an empty stomach in the morning can cure asthma.

The link to the video is here.

Fact check:

The claim is FALSE.

Understanding Asthma 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), asthma is a prevalent non-communicable disease affecting children and adults. It is the most common chronic disease among children. In 2019, an estimated 262 million people were affected by asthma, which caused 455,000 deaths(1). Asthma results from inflammation and constriction of muscles around the airways, making breathing difficult. Asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. These symptoms can be mild or severe and can come and go over time. In severe cases, people with asthma may require emergency healthcare and may even need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment and monitoring. In worst-case scenarios, asthma can result in death.

Can asthma be cured?

Asthma is a chronic condition that currently has no cure. Having said that there are several treatments available that can help control the disease. One of the most common treatments is use of  medicated inhalers, which delivers medication directly to the lungs. Inhalers effectively enable people with asthma to lead a normal, active life. Depending on the frequency of symptoms and the types of inhalers available, people with asthma may need to use them daily. However, the medication has to be decided and taken with the help of a qualified medical practitioner 

Can burnt coconut shells combined with honey cure asthma?

No. Asthma cannot be cured and there is no scientific evidence that supports that use of burnt coconut shells combined with honey  can cure asthma. 

There has been some evidence of honey being instrumental in soothing the throat. However, In a study, Alzhraa Salah Abbas et al. clearly noted, “Honey alone has no strong evidence of being effective in controlling asthma. However, when used in combination with other substances, it showed a relatively high efficacy in patients with asthma. This finding may help control asthma with lower-cost alternatives and better outcomes.”(2)

In 2021 Poi Yi Aw Young et al. performed a mini review is to discuss the effectiveness of honey as a treatment or preventive approach for various allergic diseases including allergic asthma. They clearly noted that there are no specific bioactive phytochemical compounds identified which can be effective in allergic reactions and that there is a need for more clinical studies to confirm the activity of honey in the pathogenesis of various allergic diseases and its mechanism of action to further justify its role as a future potential anti-allergic agent. (3)

Many studies analysing the role of honey has also been done on animals 

Another study by Kamaruzaman et al., 2014, the effectiveness of aerosolized Tualang honey (25 and 50% (v/v)) as both rescue and preventative agents in OVA-induced rabbits. These findings highlighted the potential of Tualang honey in preventing allergic asthma as well as alleviating the symptoms. However, aerosolized Tualang honey only showed a significant decrease in the airway thickening of both epithelial and mucosal regions, but not in the submucosal region, regardless of the dosage and treatment methods (4) 

Talking to the medical dialogue team, Dr Mrigakshi Aggarwal said, “Asthma can not be cured by any such home remedy; in fact, there is no cure for asthma. Inhaled medication can control asthma symptoms and allow people with asthma to lead a normal, active life. Coconut shells do not affect asthma; honey has been traditionally used to help with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, but to say it can cure asthma is not right. People with asthma symptoms should speak to a health professional and not rely on any such video.”

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Bharat Gopal, Director & Head, Dept of Pulmonology Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Delhi Heart and Lung Institute New Delhi. Said, “Many traditional healing methods are claimed to cure many diseases, including asthma, but have rarely been proven to be true as patients return to modern medicine in an emergency. These methods may complement Asthma Treatment but cannot replace them. As of now, there is no cure for asthma. Burnt charcoal and honey taken in the diet may help with their gut-beneficial properties but cannot cure asthma."

Medical dialogue Final intake:

No asthma cannot be cured. While honey are sometimes used for various health benefits in soothing the throat, there is no scientific evidence that supports the claim that burnt coconut shell mixed with honey can cure asthma . Hence this claim is False.

References :

1.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma

2. Abbas AS, Ghozy S, Minh LHN, Hashan MR, Soliman AL, Van NT, Hirayama K, Huy NT. Honey in Bronchial Asthma: From Folk Tales to Scientific Facts. J Med Food. 2019 Jun;22(6):543-550. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2018.4303. Epub 2019 May 24. PMID: 31135254.

3. Poi Yi Aw Yong, Fahmida Islam, Hanis Hazeera Harith, Daud Ahmad Israf, Ji Wei Tan, Chau Ling Tham, The Potential use of Honey as a Remedy for Allergic Diseases: A Mini Review, Front. Pharmacol., 26 January 2021

4. Kamaruzaman, N. A., Sulaiman, S. A., Kaur, G., and Yahaya, B. (2014). Inhalation of honey reduces airway inflammation and histopathological changes in a rabbit model of ovalbumin-induced chronic asthma. BMC Compl. Alternative Med. 14, 1–11. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-14-176