Another influencer has shared their view on the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, KFC heiress Kaila Methven is claiming to have found a “potential COVID-19 remedy”.
And yes, she’s the heiress to that KFC.
The socialite and CEO of couture lingerie label Madame Methven took to Instagram today to share the “remedy” she claims is being used “to great success” in the suburbs of Paris, where she grew up.
Speaking to 9Honey, Mevthen insists she has “a large network of friends in Paris who have reported using Nigella satvia to great success to combat the symptoms of COVID-19.”
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In the post titled “POTENTIAL COVID-19 REMEDY”, Methven claimed Nigella sativa, a medical plant better known as fennel flower, could prevent the virus that has at the time of writing infected more than 500,000 people worldwide.
“As many of you know, I lived in Paris from ages 13-21 amongst the Muslim community,” Methven began her post.
“There is a remedy in [the] Paris suburbs, in France has a herbal remedy called Nigella sativa which the Arabic community has been using to great success to help prevent/stop the symptoms of COVID-19.
“I am not a doctor, but I am doing my best to get Nigella sativa in front of the FDA for testing as it could save 1000s of lives and prevent the overcrowding of our hospitals.”
Her claims contradict information released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which asserted that there are currently no medicines that treat or prevent the virus.
WHO states they are working to help “accelerate research and development efforts with a range of partners”.
Despite having no medical or scientific qualifications, Methven claims she “wants to help put an end to this virus and the loss of human lives”.
“I believe we must exhaust all avenues, and Nigella sativa is a remedy being used to great success to curb the virus but is not widely known outside of the Arabic community,” she continued on Instagram.
“I feel it is my duty to bring awareness to this potential remedy to the wider community. I want to help save everyone — this could change the lives of millions of people!”
The heiress disabled comments on her post, however encouraged followers to contact her via email to “discuss this further”.
In an email to 9Honey, Metheven clarified that she’s not promoting people use Nigella sativa to treat COVID-19 without medical advice.
“I am not suggesting or promoting that the public start using Nigella sativa without seeking medical advice from a health professional,” she says.
“My motivation is to bring Nigella sativa to the attention of the world’s COVID-19 medical researchers to confirm if the properties in Nigella sativa do in fact combat the COVID-19 virus. As per my post, I am doing everything I can to source Nigella sativa so I can get it to the FDA for testing.”
When asked if she thought it was irresponsible for influencers to share medical claims about the pandemic without evidence, Metheven was adamant her claims are different.
“I believe it would be irresponsible for me NOT to share this information,” she explains.
“Like I said, I am personally aware of people using Nigella sativa to great success to help combat the symptoms of COVID-19. I’m trying to help the world.”
Adding that she hopes to “help doctors and researchers”, Methven insisted that — because there is currently no cure for coronavirus — it “would not be right” for medical professionals to “overlook” Nigella sativa as a “potential remedy” for the virus.
Methven went on to say that she still encourages all people to follow WHO and government health advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Other influencers who have claimed to know of natural remedies for coronavirus have faced serious backlash in recent weeks, with fans and critics alike blasting them for irresponsibly sharing medical misinformation during a global crisis.
There is currently no scientific evidence that Nigella sativa or any other herbal remedies can prevent, treat or cure COVID-19.
