A TikToker has posted a video showing how a simple ginger shot can help you temporarily regain your smell after having Covid-19.
Loss of sense of smell and taste is a symptom of Covid-19 and long term-changes to these senses can linger for weeks or months after the infection is gone, known as "long Covid".
But Dutch influencer Rianne Meijer claims to have regained her sense of smell after taking a ginger shot, in a video shared with her 77.3K followers.
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Check it out below:
"For everyone who has had Covid and cannot smell anymore, I'm here I'm with you. I found the solution. I found something that actually works," Rianne says.
"It's honestly just a ginger shot. That's it. If you had Covid and you cannot smell anymore try a ginger shot."
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Rianne sprays perfume on her wrist off-camera and sniffs it before taking the shot. Unable to smell its scent, she takes the ginger shot and swishes it around in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. After smelling her wrist once again, she said: "There's the perfume! I cannot explain how weird it is!"
The video was also shared to Rianne's Instagram account where users who tried the ginger shot trick said it worked for them. One woman wrote: "OMG I TRIED IT AND IT GAVE ME BACK LIKE 1/3 ORIGINAL SMELL, ITS CALLED PROGRESS BABY".
The same user later commented that effect was temporary but "even an hour of smelling your favourite perfume is worth it."
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A different account shared: "I did get my smell back but it definitely isn't back to what it was before."
Some users were more on the fence about the so-called hack. "Honestly can't tell if this is a joke or if you're being serious."
So, has Rianne just discovered an incredible trick to temporarily bring back smell after covid? Tyla spoke to Dr. Amy Reven, M.B.B.S., a GP to try to understand what's going on in the video.
"Because of its [ginger] ability to remove toxins from the respiratory system and boost immunity, [it has] the ability to bring back lost smell sensation in a few seconds.
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"The girl in the TikTok drank a minimal amount and let it sit in her mouth for a few seconds first. The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger are killing all the bacteria and lowering the swelling that is blocking the sensation."
Dr. Reven explained how TikTok affects the senses. The virus directly attacks the nerve cells associated with taste and smell, causing inflammation or damage to the nerve cells leading to the loss of smell and taste.
The function of these nerve cells is to transmit the sensation of smell and test to the brain, but because of the virus and its invading effect, the brain is unable to receive the signals coming from the nerve cells.
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She also emphasised that ginger shots are not a cure for Covid-19. "The ginger has Gingerol which is the best working constituent, which helps to enhance the sense of smell and stimulate taste buds.
"It doesn't work permanently. The timely ability to bring back the lost smell is because of its anti-inflammatory property which reduces the blocked nasals due to swelling and releases the smell sensation," she adds.
"It is not a cure and works temporarily to help relieve the sensation of smell and taste by lowering inflammation with its anti-inflammatory properties."
Featured Image Credit: rianne.meijer/ TikTokTopics: Life News, Life, Coronavirus, Health, TikTok, Covid-19