On Tuesday, 6 October, the Union Health Ministry and the Ayush Ministry released the Ayurveda and yoga-based protocols to manage the symptoms of COVID-19 through traditional ways, the government said in a statement.

“All the medicines included have shown good results and are scientifically validated by the task force and committees created to review them. It will be added as an exclusive chapter in our national Covid-19 management protocol.”
Harsh Vardhan, Health Ministry, in a statement during the launch

This aimed to bring in uniformity in Ayush-based COVID-19 treatment.

The centre recommended Guduchi, Ashwagandha, AYUSH-64 in treating mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 patients - although clinical trials for their effectiveness are still ongoing.

“We call this first version of the protocol, which will be modified as more evidence is generated through further studies in future. This part is a result of 4-5 months of research activity on some of the antipyretic, antifungal, antibacterial and other medicines in Ayurveda that have been reviewed and backed by experts from the modern system of medicine. The protocol is thoroughly backed by scientific evidence.”
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, Ayush

The Ministry of AYUSH has been promoting alternate medication since the start of the pandemic, and FIT has previously debunked certain claims.

In their recent advisory, the Ministry added that general health and dietary measures need to be followed, and recommended drinking turmeric milk, sipping kadha, doing steam inhalation and more. They also added the basic common knowledge of hand hygiene, social distancing, wearing masks and physical fitness.

Ayurveda for Mild to Asymptomatic Cases

The Ministry recommends ashwagandha, guduchi ghana vati along with Chyawanaprash for 15 days or one month for prevention or prophylactic care among high-risk people or primary contacts of COVID-19 patients.

However, so far, there is no clinical evidence that these claims work as a prophylactic. Ayush methods aim to boost our immunity to help fight of the infectious disease. Sandhya Ramesh, a science journalist breaks down the problems with ‘immunity boosters’ and explains why our immunity is a complex system here.

Still, the ministry recommends:

1. For asymptomatic patients: guduchi ghana vati, guduchi along with pippali and Ayush 64 tablets for 15 days

2. For mild COVID-19 patients with fever, headaches, fatigue but no breathlessness: guduchi, pippali and Ayush 64 tablets

Yoga for Recovery from COVID-10

For a mild or moderate exercise regime, the Ministry suggests yoga to boost respiratory and cardiac function, reduce stress and anxiety, and enhance immunity.

The guidelines suggested a 45-minute routine with various asanas to prevent COVID-19, and a 30-minute session for post-COVID care.

(With inputs from The Print)

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Published: 07 Oct 2020,02:38 PM IST

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