New Delhi: After Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali, now Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Tattva has claimed to have formulated combinations of Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines that can help in prevention and treatment of Covid-19.
The company said it had tested the drug combo for anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting Ayurvedic agents and their effectiveness against the novel coronavirus, under the guidance of Germany-based Frankfurt Innovation Center for Biotechnology.
Sharing the findings of the study during a virtual press conference Monday, the company emphasised the use of their medicines for prevention and treatment of Covid-19, but promoted it as an “immunity building” formulation.
There is currently no proven cure for Covid-19, the pandemic that was triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Earlier this year in June, Patanjali launched an Ayurvedic formulation it touted as a cure for the highly infectious disease, which triggered a controversy. It was eventually allowed to be sold in the market but as an “immunity booster”.
Doses of Tattva’s products have been donated to Delhi’s AYUSH department for treatment and prevention of Covid-19, Sri Sri announced in the briefing. “We have been seeing that the hospital beds are also coming to an end. We must not create a divide between ancient and modern systems of treatment. It’s time to adopt a holistic approach,” he said.
The company said that the same formulation is also being distributed for prophylactic (prevention) care in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Also read: Need more studies to test Ayurveda on severe Covid patients, AYUSH staff say in new paper
‘Siddha formulation prevents entry of virus into human cells’
The Kabasur Kudineer Tablet, which is a classical Siddha formulation, was tested along with other Ayurveda medicines for screening inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2.
“The study found Kabasura Kudineer tablets were the strongest inhibitor of spike glycoprotein in coronavirus strains, in restricting entry of virus into cells in in-vitro studies,” the company said in its press statement.
The spike glycoprotein is the part of the virus that allows it to attach to the human cell. In-vitro studies are those conducted in clinical laboratories.
Dr Ravi Reddy, Tattva’s chief science officer, told ThePrint that “the results pertain to the in vitro studies using the following Sri Sri Tattva products: Kabasura Kudineer, Amruth, Immugen and Chyawanprash”.
According to the company’s press release, Amruth and Immugen had similar inhibitory effects — 60-65 per cent and 80 per cent respectively — showing a strong reduction of binding. Chywanprash showed similar inhibition levels, between 70-75 per cent, with whatever concentrations were tested.
Reddy explained that these percentages refer to the inhibiting capacity of each medicine in binding the pathways where the virus can enter into the cell. “The results show that using the products have an inhibitory effect, thereby reducing the chances of viral entry into the cell,” he told ThePrint.
The company also shared other studies done on herbal products that claim to “boost immunity against Covid19”.
However, it did not respond to ThePrint’s question on whether the company plans to send the studies for peer-review, a process of research evaluation conducted by other academicians and researchers to authenticate the findings.
Also read: Gomutra pills, turmeric extract, spice-mix — the Ayurvedic concoctions under trial for Covid
No negative impact, but no proven positive effect
The company said it conducted a second clinical study at the popular Bengaluru-based Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital to evaluate the effect of AYUSH medicines in management of Covid-19. The medicines studied included Kabasura Kudineer, which was administered as an add-on therapy for 15 patients with mild Covid symptoms.
Although the company didn’t state whether or not the drug combo proved effective, it did say that medicine didn’t have any negative impact.
“The study found that use of AYUSH interventions as an add-on therapy did not negatively impact the clinical outcomes in COVID-19. With not a single adverse event, the trial confirmed the safety and tolerability of AYUSH medicines, including Sri Sri Tattva Kabasura Kudineer tablets, Shakti Drops and Turmeric plus tablets for use among patients with mild symptoms,” the press release stated.
A third study was conducted at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) among 96 healthcare workers stationed at Covid-19 wards.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the immune-modulating properties of herbal medicines, including Tulasi Arka, Shakti Drops and Turmeric plus tablets. However, the company said “data is still coming in, but the initial results have been encouraging”.
While health experts encourage the move towards research on the effectiveness of AYUSH medications for Covid-19, they said such research needs to be done in a rigorous manner and reported in peer-reviewed journals for independent scrutiny.
“In the current case, no published evidence of these products has been provided, so it’s difficult to discern the claims,” said Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy.
“Hopefully, publications will be soon available to substantiate the claims being made. Also, importantly, any claims of in-vitro efficacy need to be substantiated by human studies, which would be the real test for efficacy against Covid-19 in patients with disease,” he added.
Also read: How many of your colleagues used Ayurveda to treat Covid, IMA asks Harsh Vardhan
There is no question of having a doubt on alternative medicines but they need to be peer-reviewed for authentic scientific validity and reliability!! Seems Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has only claimed few of Sri Sri products as effective immunity boosters not specifically for Covid19 treatment though..
When is Swami Nityananda going to emerge from Kailasa to market his vaccine? After all, the man claims that he is able to delay sunrise (ref: bit.ly/2Ju5Iem) , re-interpret Einstein’s famous E = Mc**2 (ref:bit.ly/39OmVtV9 ) should also be able to bring to easily bring to the market a COVID cure right?
I eagerly await vaccines and cures from Sadguru, Nithyanand, Asaram Bapu and many more of India’s billionaire babas ! After all, that would be the best way to prove that India is a Viswaguru !!
Anyone can concoct a treatment for covid these days. Freaking snake oil marketers (with beards in this case). In case of they get infected, they won’t try the taste of their own medicine. They’ll rush to modern medicine, if needed, fly to developed nations to get treated.
They’ll rush to modern medicine – Amit Shah did just that.
An IIT graduated idiot who inspite of studying in IIT doesn’t believe in Science rather Sells and makes money selling mythology, and he won’t be hanged for this as in India everything can be sold under the name of alternate medicine without any testing trials
These are in vitro tests. There are so many chemicals and molecules that are shown to work in vitro and inhibit viruses but don’t work that well inside the body.
Let them publish the details of their studies so that it can be scientifically examined. Many ayush studies lack scientific rigour so it is always hard to accept scientifically that these formulations work.
☆ !!MARVELLOUSLY THE SPECIALISTS THE THE BESTEST ONESH!! ☆ .
So I guess there will be a duopoly of sorts withe the 2 gurus – Baba Ramdev & Sri Sri – vying for market share. Time for Sadguru to jump into the fray and make this into an oligopoly !
In any case, Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca are clearly barking up the wrong tree – at least if one were to believe these pharmaceutical geniuses !
Welcome to India 2020 !
The best way to prove it is to inject these charlatans with Covid, and then try their concoctions.
Ayush concoctions have too many molecules in them. Difficult to prove anything reliably as per scientific standards and expectations.
Indian public is not scientific. Most of them
are ignorants who just believe what they are marketed. Let them experiment and decide if these concoctions are helping them in any way.
I know a Hindu engineer who has faith in Baba Randev products. He even believed the Whats App message that the new Rs. 2000 notes had an embedded chip that allowed it to be detected when buried 6 feet under the ground.
Let us promote ayurvedic treatment.
When Amit Shah had Covid, which hospital did he go to, and did he try Ayurveda ?
Same with you. Where would you go ?
The best would be to inject these Hindu gurus with Covid, and administer their medicine, and see if it works.
Mr Akhil Srivastava: So I guess when a loved one in your family gets a malignant tumour in the brain or gets run over by a car, you would seek Ayurvedic treatment right? And no, I certainly do not wish any such calamity to befall anyone in your family. But the point I am making is that most people, especially the affluent seek Western medical cures, treatments, and preventive measures such as vaccines. Not Ayurveda, Siddha or Homeopathy.
Much of this AYUSH nonsense is for the poor who can’t afford Western medicine which has a better track record of working. And it the GOI’, knowing that it will never be able to provide even basic health care to citizens encourages this AYUSH claptrap. Charlatans like Sri Sri, Baba Ramdev and others who should never have been given permission to do drug development will be the only beneficiaries of the BJP government’s policies. Meanwhile, gullible Indians will at best be injecting placebos into their bodies, at worst some unknown carcinogen.
May be Corona is as a curse on the human race by the Mother Nature for boldly interference in laws of Nature on our beautiful planet. So plethora of people are suffering from this virus due to highly contagious. Though scientists are working day and night to develop vaccines to counter this notorious virus. But it seems that holistic approach as mentioned in the news help not only to eradicate this virus, but also save patients suffering from it.
Every civilisation has its own experiences of medinal uses of natural materials from evolutionary stage,depending on geographical availability;Ayurveda, Siddha, unani.etc.Unfortunately there is no athentic records .These were passed on generation to generation ,guru to shisya.All subsequent generation added and distorted it. There was no system or protocol and it remained limited and got lost. Even after documentation there was no quality standard or protocol. People can not be left at the mercy of these quakes and babas Government should make. sure that people are not exploted by these self appointed gaurdians of heath and soul.
“However, it did not respond to ThePrint’s question on whether the company plans to send the studies for peer-review, a process of research evaluation conducted by other academicians and researchers to authenticate the findings.”
Without this being peer reviewed and published in a reputed scientific journal, take this as business promotion with some pseudoscientific evidence.
Well said Mr Govind CV.
This is another guru cashing in on his fame and trying to make a quick buck on what is likely to be the most sought after product in the world – a COVID vaccine. And the BJP government is unlikely to rein in these charlatans, knowing very well that they are major contributors to Hindutva causes and to the party coffers.