溺れる者は藁をも掴む (おぼれるものはわらをもつかむ): a drowning man will clutch at a straw
溺れる者は藁をも掴む
a drowning man will clutch at a straw
A drowning person grabs even a floating straw. Said with sympathy rather than scorn, about someone desperate enough to try a remedy they would normally laugh at.