Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, a world-renowned pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, said he took a potentially toxic, FDA-rejected therapeutic extract at the recommendation of the CEO of MyPillow to cure himself of the coronavirus. According to The Washington Post, Carson said he took oleandrin—an extract of the oleander plant—after hearing about it from Mike Lindell, the pillow tycoon and Trump loyalist. “Anybody who has ever gotten covid and taken [oleander extract]. they are fine in five hours, and the next day are running around playing floor hockey in the hallway,” said Lindell, who has a financial stake in the company that produces the extract. Lindell’s claims are completely unsubstantiated; there are no peer-reviewed studies on oleander extract’s effect on COVID-19 patients. Lindell’s cushion caliphate has come under criticism for false advertising before, settling a class-action lawsuit in 2017 after making unsubstantiated claims that MyPillow could cure insomnia, among other ailments.