A little while back, Minnesota pillow-slinger, Trump cheerleader, and white guy blues aficionado Mike Lindell went on CNN to discuss oleandrin, a supplement he and a company called Phoenix Biotechnology are pushing as a cure for COVID-19.
Oleandrin is derived from oleander, a very pretty but highly toxic flowering shrub. It has been observed in some studies to have interesting effects on heart rate, which might, with time and careful, peer-reviewed study, prove to be useful in the treatment of some heart conditions.
However, the narrow sliver of potential between ineffectual amounts of oleandrin and a lethal dose is making experts a little wary about properly vetting its usage; it is, in fact, the very compound that makes oleander so lethal. Continue reading.