On May 14, 2020 Minister of State(Independent/Charge) for ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy(AYUSH), Shripad Yesso(Y) Naik has announced that AYUSH ministry & Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR) are working together to validate 4 Ayush formulations Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (Mulethi), Guduchi Pippali(Giloy) and AYUSH-64(poly herbal formulation) against COVID-19 & and the trials will start within a week.
- These formulations will be tried as an add-on therapy and standard care for COVID-19 patients.
- The 4 candidates were invented for the treatment of malaria and its repurposing is going on.
Major Highlights
i.They are doing 2 types of stimulus studies as profile access on the high-risk population for Ashwagandha & have also planned a competitive study between Hydroxychloroquine and Ashwagandha
ii.Previously the Interdisciplinary Ayush Research and Development(R&D) Task Force has formulated and designed clinical research protocols for prophylactic studies, complete review of additional interventions in COVID-19 positive cases & consultative process of experts of high repute from different organisations across the country to study this 4 different interventions
iii.Doctors have yet not found any concrete solution in the traditional medicine system of Ayurveda or in any other allopathic drug across the world. Though plasma therapy has been used to help COVID-19 patients recover from the deadly virus in India, treatment has not proven to be entirely effective.
iv.The United States(US) Food and Drug Administration has given its nod to Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir in May for emergency use on COVID-19 patients.
About CSIR:
It is one of the world’s largest publicly funded scientific and industrial research organisations
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Director General– Shekhar Mande
