India to begin Clinical trial for 4 Ayurvedic drugs to treat Covid-19: AYUSH Minister

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 14, 2020: The Government of India is working on four ayurvedic medicine formulations to treat COVID-19, said AYUSH Minister on Thursday, adding that trials are likely to begin within a week. The Ministry’s announcement came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of India to be "vocal for local", implying more support for India’s indigenous businesses.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Y Naik, in a tweet, said, "The @moayush & the @CSIR_IND are working together on validating four Ayush formulations against #COVID19Pandemic and the trials will start within one week. These formulations will be tried as an add-on therapy and standard care for COVID-19 patients" as to News18.

 

While the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is one of the world’s largest publicly funded scientific and industrial research organisations, the Ministry of AYUSH, which stands for ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homeopathy, cultures with India’s traditional form of medicine.

Minister Naik said that he is “sure and quite hopeful” that the country’s traditional medicinal system will show of positive outcome and pave “way to overcome this pandemic”.

Earlier it was reported that the Interdisciplinary Ayush R&D Task Force has formulated and designed clinical research protocols for prophylactic studies and add-on interventions in Covid-19 positive cases thorough review and consultative process of experts of high repute from different organisations across the country for studying four different interventions viz. Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (Mulethi), Guduchi +Pippali (Giloy) and a poly herbal formulation.

However, doctors have yet not found any concrete solution in the traditional medicine system of Ayurveda or in any other allopathic drug across the world. Even though plasma therapy is being resorted to for helping COVID-19 patients recover from the deadly virus in India, the treatment has not been proven as totally effective.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration has given its nod to Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir in May for emergency use on COVID-19 patients.