Will This Old-Timey Hack Cure the Flu?

This spud's for you. Will This Old-Timey Hack Cure the Flu? There's no cure for the common cold.  There's no cure for the coronavirus.  But there MIGHT be a cure for the flu. And it involves pressing a potato against your foot. Yes, this hack might cure the flu. Of course, it's not science. It's social media. Specifically, it's TikTok. So what is this flu "remedy"? You take a potato, cut it in half, and then slice off two pieces. You press the potato slices against the bottom of your feet, put socks over them to keep them in place and remove them in the morning. There will be an indentation on your feet, which she says is "normal." And the potato slices will be a "disgustingly dark" color, because "the toxins are removed." Huh? She insists you'll feel much better. https://www.tiktok.com/@food_over_rx/video/7166344094690594090?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7166344094690594090 With flu cases spiking this season, the videos are more popular than ever. In fact, they've accumulated a dizzying  8.1 billion views collectively. TikTokers have turned to the "tater treatment" after failing to overcome illness through more conventional means, according to the New York Post. The paper reported that "some now swear by the practice, saying the potatoes have helped draw toxins out of their bodies, leaving them feeling fresh and energized." “It works!! My daughter has been feeling so much better!!” one mom said on her TikTok. According to the New York Post, the footage cuts to the following morning when she pulls the socks off her girl’s feet and states. “You’re going to see an imprint on the bottom of the foot, which is totally fine. You’re then going to see the potato slices, which are disgustingly dark. That’s because the toxins are removed and your child feels so much better,” she claims. Influencers including Isabelle Lux have also tried out the hot hack. “What came out of my body last night? Tried to put potatoes in my socks and it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Is this a detox?” https://www.tiktok.com/@isabelle.lux/video/7175964527769521450?embed_source=121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_masking&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&refer=embed&referer_url=nypost.com%2F2023%2F01%2F04%2Fpotatoes-in-socks-flu-remedy-shocks-tiktok-what-came-out-of-my-body%2F&referer_video_id=7175964527769521450 But medical experts are smashing the potato cure-all. https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.tommymartin/video/7165265851376127278?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7165265851376127278&lang=en And why are this taters totally black? A nutritionist explained why the potatoes appeared so blackened after being taken out of the socks. https://www.tiktok.com/@kinder.nutrition.rd/video/7176059407791377707?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7176059407791377707&lang=en “When the potato is sliced open, exposed to air and body heat then enzymatic browning will happen.”