Ayush Standard Treatment Protocol to deal with COVID-19 through ayurveda and yoga interventions

The government is taking the fight against COVID-19 to a whole new level with Ayush Standard Treatment Protocol. This will help tackle the pandemic through ayurveda and yoga interventions.

The Health Ministry had said that the AYUSH system of medicine is useful in COVID-19 management and vetted guidelines have been made available in public domain for the benefit of more than seven lakh registered AYUSH practitioners to manage the pandemic uniformly. The government has also been promoting medicinal herbs under the Ayush system for people to improve their immunity levels to fight off infections.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, the Ayush Ministry approved a clinical study in September to assess the role of medicinal herbs vasa and guduchi in the therapeutic management of the COVID-19 symptoms. In its guidelines, the ministry adviced to take immunity promoting Ayush medicine, to be practiced and prescribed by a qualified practitioner of Ayush. If health permits, regular household work to be done, professional work to be resumed in graded manner. Depending on the physical condition, mild to moderate exercise daily such as yogasana, pranayama and meditation, breathing exercises as prescribed by treating physician and daily morning or evening walk at a comfortable pace as tolerated, it said.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, the health minister, said the Ministry has formed an interdisciplinary research and development task force. The task force has formulated and designed clinical research protocols for prophylactic studies and add-on interventions in COVID-19 positive cases through thorough review and consultative process of experts of high repute from different organizations across the country for studying four different interventions – Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu, Guduchi plus Pippali and a poly herbal formulation, he told the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

India has recorded 6.69 million positive COVID-19 cases and over five million patients have recovered from the deadly virus.