Bali Provincial Government Uses Arak To Treat COVID-19 Patients Without Symptoms

JAKARTA - The Provincial Government of Bali uses Balinese arak therapy for people who are healthy but confirmed positive for COVID-19 or asymptomatic. This therapy is carried out in a number of quarantine places managed by the provincial government.

"It (the arak-red therapy) turned out to be very effective. Those who just got positive, two days of this treatment, on the third day it was negative and healed," said Bali Governor Wayan Koster on the sidelines of the launching of the Circular of the Governor of Bali Number 15036 of 2020 concerning Bali Krama Mutual Cooperation Market Program, at Jayasabha's Residence, Denpasar, Wednesday, June 22.

According to Koster, therapy or usada (traditional Balinese medicine) using the basic ingredients of Balinese arak which has been specially distilled has been tested on hundreds of positive people with COVID-19 who are being treated in a number of quarantine places.

"It has been tested by extracting kaffir lime leaves (lemon), then given eucalyptus oil. It turns out that now the recovery has improved considerably for those who are treated in quarantine," he said.

Koster claims that he initiated a therapy using Balinese arak for the treatment of COVID-19, then assigned a researcher to make a concoction made from Balinese arak that has been specially distilled.

"Initially, from 19 samples, 15 of which recovered, the samples were increased to 40, 100, and 200, almost 80 percent recovered with this treatment," he said.

For the treatment of COVID-19, he continued, the wine that has been extracted from kaffir lime is not drunk, but the vapor is inhaled using a certain tool that has been prepared (nebulizer). "Every time I want to sleep, I also breathe it," said the former member of the DPR RI 3 for the period.

After performing Balinese arak therapy for patients being treated at the quarantine, Koster said that the quarantine place, which initially had a shortage, even rented three hotels, now many are loose.

"What makes me happy is that the recovery is from a lot of this treatment. The one who carried out the laboratory test was Prof. Gelgel, but the wine was specially distilled," he said.

Koster also admitted that he had told the Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly about the Balinese arak therapy during a meeting to inaugurate the Village Law and Human Rights Service Post (Posyankumhamdes) in Gianyar Regency on Tuesday, July 21.

"This product will soon be patented because of its ingredients. To be honest, I was the initiator, from a certain incident, I encouraged the Head of Health Office to do this. If it has been proven and legalized with patents, this could be a new industry based on local wisdom," he said. .

Thus, said Koster, arak has two functions, first the traditional beverage industry competes with soju and sake in accordance with the objectives of the Bali Governor Regulation No.1 of 2020 concerning the Management of Balinese Fermented and / or Distilled Beverages and also for health (treatment therapy for positive COVID-patients. 19).

Based on data from the Bali Province COVID-19 Handling Task Force until Wednesday (22/7), from the cumulative number of positive COVID-19 cases in Bali, which totaled 2,934 people, the number of patients who had recovered was 2,178 people (74.23 percent).