O impacto das fake news em tempos de pandemia da COVID-19 - uma investigação das informações disseminadas através das mídias sociais sobre o uso de plantas medicinais

Abstract

The present article deals with the dissemination of fake news about the use of medicinal plants "capable" of curing and treating the symptoms of COVID-19. Through research on websites, six fake news related to supposed cures, published between 2020 and 2021, were selected, with subsequent textual analysis of each one, whose objective was to distinguish the true facts from the false ones. The results of the research indicate that according to the scientific literature, six of the nine plants used for treatment have active ingredients that are toxic if consumed exaggeratedly. It is concluded that medicinal plants should be used only as a vitamin supplement, capable of helping to strengthen the immune system.