Drinking kadha made out of herbs, gargling with warm water with a pinch of salt and turmeric and using ashwangandha and giloy to prevent COVID-19 – these are just a few measures included in the latest COVID-19 clinical management protocol of the AYUSH ministry.
Based on “emerging trends” from certain studies that the AYUSH ministry undertook, the Centre has released its clinical protocol for COVID-19. This includes specific dietary measures, yoga asanas and intake of certain phytopharmaceuticals to prevent the disease as well as manage asymptomatic and mild cases.
The initiative, said AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, was taken by the ministry after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged AYUSH experts in a video conference in April to generate evidence on the use of alternative medicine to manage COVID-19. “The latest AYUSH protocol is based on literature and clinical experience, but also empirical evidence, biological plausibility, and emerging trends from ongoing clinical studies at national institutes,” Kotecha said.
The protocol has been developed by an inter-disciplinary group of experts headed by Dr V.M. Katoch, former DG, ICMR, and vetted by the national task force on COVID management. However, Kotecha cautioned that none of these measures were to “replace” the standard protocol of hand hygiene, wearing masks and physical distancing. “These should not instill a false sense of security,” he said, adding that none of what was recommended in the protocol was a cure for COVID-19.
Kotecha also held forth on the use of kadha, and concerns from modern medicine practitioners over the gastro-intestinal effects of the concoction. “The spices used in the drink (tulsi, ginger, black pepper and cinnamon) are those that we use at home in masalas as well. They don't cause liver damage. They are very good for the respiratory system. Studies on its efficacy in COVID-19 are ongoing, and till now we don't have solid evidence on it. But because the spices generate heat in the body, the drink can be had with jaggery or misri,” he said.
Kotecha also told the media that the use of ashwagandha and guduchi (giloy) for high-risk groups and primary contacts of COVID-19 positive persons could prevent the infection or ensure that they get only mild symptoms. The medicine AYUSH-64 that is used in malaria had been repurposed for COVID-19, he said. Ayurvedic drugs and preparations in specific doses have been recommended for cough, breathlessness, diarrhea, fever and sore throat, and chywanprash for fatigue.
Commenting on clinical trials on ashwagandha, Kotecha said several “in silico” (computational method) studies had shown that it could stop the virus from entering the cells, and evidence on its anti-viral properties and long-term safety had been shown in 30 clinical studies.
The ministry is also involved in four studies covering a “huge sample size” to assess the prevention benefit and came across “positive trends” in COVID-19. Similarly for giloy, the ministry was conducting seven studies on using it as a preventive measure and for managing asymptomatic persons. Kotecha asserted that the results of these studies on giloy, pippali and AYUSH-64 had been published in “high-impact” scientific journals. Kotecha further said the studies on AYUSH drugs that were registered on the national clinical trial registry were “ongoing” and that the protocol was designed on the basis of “strong positive trends” obtained from those studies.