Impact of Ayush Alternative Medicine Interventions in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The five Indian systems of alternative and complementary medicine (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) are frequently used to treat "COVID-19" throughout the country (referred to simply as "AYUSH"). At the outset of the pandemic, "The Ministry of AYUSH" (the governing authority of the Indian system of medicine) issued recommendations for the use of particular herbs and acts to improve immunity, based on the advice of an advisory council of "AYUSH" doctors and scant evidence. Some of these suggestions involved using traditional herbs and practices, which have been used for centuries and are effective in treating a wide range of conditions, including fever, sore throat, and breathing difficulties, as well as acting as a non-specific leniency enhancer thanks to their anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial properties. A number of the formulations recommended here—including AYUSH 64, Chyawanprash, Guduchi Ghanavati, Arsenic Album, Kabasur Kudineer, and Nilavembu Kudineer—have been the subject of scientific research into their putative prophylactic or therapeutic benefits.

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