Ayush ministry to study Ayurveda for boosting immunity

The ministry of Ayush (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) has started an observational study to establish immunity boosting effects of some Ayurvedic herbs and minerals on Thursday. The ministry will initially put Delhi police personnel on the experimental medicine for the study.

“We have tied up with the Delhi Police to put their 80,000 personnel deployed in the field on this experimental medicine mix containing Giloy Ghan Vati and Chyawanprash as part of an observational study to see its prophylactic effects by altering a person’s immune response,” said Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, Ayush ministry.

Giloy Ghan Vati contains extract of Giloy (botanically known as Tinospora Cordifolia), which in Ayurveda is known to be a potent immuno-modulator (immunity booster) herb.

Chyawanprash is an Ayurvedic health supplement which is made up of a concentrated blend of nutrient-rich herbs and minerals. It is meant to preserve strength, stamina, and vitality.

“As part of the study, this combination will be given to them on a daily basis for about three weeks. The dosage will be two tablets of giloy ghan vati in the morning, and two tablets in the evening, along with one spoon of Chyawanprash, in a day. In some cases we can also extend the period of study,” Kotecha said.

Delhi-based All India Institute of Ayurveda will be the nodal medical centre for the study, he said, adding that the centre will also monitor the health of all study recruits.

“We are not claiming it to be effective against Covid-19, all we are saying is that it is known to be effective in building a person’s immunity and we are conducting this large scale trial to see if it can provide some protection against this particular disease also. Another arm of this study is to see if taking this medicine will have any effect on the severity of the disease in case any of these personnel are exposed to the virus in future,” said Kotecha.

“We want to generate adequate scientific evidence given criticism Ayush stream of medicines receive, and are collaborating with ICMR and CSIR in this regard. Like other observational studies taking place in the country with allopathic medicines, this study will focus on the effects of Ayush medicines,” said Kotecha.

In next 10 days, the Ayush ministry will be collaborating with its regional institutes to expand the scope of the study to involve more people who are given these immunity boosters. “We are looking at covering about one million people including field staff, those in quarantine centres etc. especially in high-risk areas,” he said.

The Union health Harsh Vardhan also said that the government was looking at using Ayush medicines to boost the immunity of people. “The Ayush ministry and ICMR are working closely, and about 125 proposals were received from various organizations that are being short-listed to conduct clinical trials so that their efficacy is proven in a scientific manner. We are open to making use of Ayush medicines,” he said.