The AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) Ministry and the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) are working on four traditional medicine formulations to treat coronavirus infection. Trials for the same will start within a week.

These four formulations include Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (Mulethi), Guduchi Pippali (Giloy), and AYUSH-64, which was initially created to treat malaria, NDTV reported.

‘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.’ He later tweeted, ‘I am sure and quite hopeful that, our traditional medicinal system will show the way to overcome this Pandemics,’ Union Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Y Naik tweeted.

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.

— Shripad Y. Naik (@shripadynaik) May 14, 2020

A randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted by the government in order to assess the efficacy of Ayurvedic drug Ashwagandha as a preventive intervention. It will be a joint initiative of the ministers of AYUSH, health, science, and technology through CSIR with technical support from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

‘There has been a long-felt need for many of Ayurvedic formulations. We should actually try from the modern science perspective so that we get the acceptability.’ He further adds that Ayurveda is based on thousands of years of clinical practices that have been followed, so we trust Ayurveda. We are not able to show the mechanism of action like modern medicine does. Ayurvedic practices have existed much before modern medicine practices came. Therefore, it is important that we validate some of the Ayurvedic principles. So, the time is absolutely right that in the fight against coronavirus we try some Ayurvedic formulations,’ CSIR Director-General Shekhar Mande had said on May 7.

Reportedly, CSIR Director-General Shekhar Mande and the AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said on Wednesday, may 13, that the result will come within three months.

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