DODOMA 3 May (ANA) - The president of Tanzania says he will send a plane to Madagascar to import a herbal tonic which has been touted as a cure for coronavirus by the country's president.

Congo-Brazzaville's president has also promised to import the drink.

It is produced from the artemisia plant - the source of an ingredient used in a malaria treatment.

The World Health Organization has said there is no proof of any cure and has advised people against self-medicating. 

The drink was launched as Covid-Organics and was being marketed after being tested on fewer than 20 people over a period of three weeks, the president's chief of staff Lova Hasinirina Ranoromaro told the BBC.

In response to the launch of Covid-Organics, the WHO said in a statement sent to the BBC that the global organisation did not recommend "self-medication with any medicines... as a prevention or cure for Covid-19".

It reiterated earlier comments by WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that there were "no short-cuts" to finding effective mediation to fight coronarvirus.

International trials were under way to find an effective treatment, the WHO added.

In March, the US-based National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health warned against purported coronavirus remedies, including herbal therapies and teas - saying the best way to prevent infection was to avoid exposure to the virus.(ANA)

FA/ANA/3 May 2020-----