New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again advised the use of alternative medicine systems such as homoeopathy and ayurveda to ward off coronavirus. In his address to the nation Tuesday, Modi asked people to follow an advisory issued by the Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) last month, which suggests a range of home remedies to boost immunity.
The advisory, first reported by ThePrint 18 March, was addressed to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories. It was sent 6 March.
The advice offered includes frequently sipping water boiled with tulsi leaves, crushed ginger and turmeric (haldi), timely sleep, eating freshly cooked food, and practising yoga and pranayama under the guidance of qualified instructors.
It also promotes the consumption of honey with a pinch of pepper powder for curing cough, and advises people to avoid heavy food items.
Also Read: Forget coronavirus, homoeopathy can’t cure anything. It’s a placebo, at best
The decoctions advised
The four-page advisory, divided under four heads — prevention, symptom management of COVID-like illness, add-on interventions to the conventional care and general preventive measures — stresses the importance of ayurveda, homeopathy, unani and siddha, four schools of alternative medicine.
It suggests the use of “Samshamani Vati”, an ayurvedic remedy made of giloy that is believed to cure all types of fevers, weakness and anaemia, twice a day with warm water.
Under siddha, it advises the “Nilavembu Kudineer decoction” — a combination of nine herbs used to treat fevers caused by viral infections, malaria, chikungunya, among others — twice a day. The unani remedy recommended is a decoction to be made “by boiling Behidana, Unnab, Sapistan in water”.
“The drugs used in the preparation of this decoction have been reported to have antioxidant activity, immuno-modulatory, antiallergic, smooth muscle relaxant activity and anti-influenza activity. This decoction may be taken twice a day for 14 days,” the advisory states.
For homoeopathy, it suggests the consumption of “Arsenicum album 30”, adding that it is a common prescription in the cases of respiratory infections in day-to-day practice”.
The Modi government came in for much criticism in January when the Ayush Ministry recommended homoeopathy and unani medicines for the prevention of Covid-19 infection and “symptomatic management”. The main criticism was that the efficacy of these medicine systems is yet to be conclusively proved.
As a result, the fresh advisory contains an annexure listing “supporting evidence” in the form of 33 research studies.
On 31 March, the ministry issued a press release with another advisory on boosting immunity through ayurveda. It urged the consumption of chyavanprash in the morning, and the consumption of herbal tea or a decoction made from tulsi, cinnamon, black pepper, dry ginger and raisin once or twice a day. It also advised people to drink “golden milk” — turmeric powder mixed into 150 ml hot milk — once or twice a day.
This report has been updated with additional information
Also Read: After Modi’s appeal, AYUSH ministry gets over 2,000 proposals to tackle Covid-19 pandemic
Dont misrepresent the facts. Its totally false news
AYUSH ministry only gave these herbs for boosting immunity. Neither Modi nor AYUSH minitry said its home remedy.
Communists are very good at propaganda or misrepresenting facts.
Please give us proof that ayush or modi suggested these herbs as home remedies.
Also please see chinese Dictatorship govt also included chinese herbal medicines for treating patients.
Whenever I see the patients death ratio increaseing my tears are just cannot stop.
When I was small my grandfather was giving one kind of medicines for the throats infection and used to get heel within 3 days. Many people used to come to him. He was titled “Voiz Martin” in konkani Voiz means doctor and Martin was his name(Goa). He didn’t have any degrees or medical certificates to show but he had a great love for the “Aurvedic medicines”. Thousands of people used to come to him for different sickness and he was heeling them just as a mirecle. Such a honest and humble person he was. Missing him so much. He is no more.
Most of his Ayurvedic Medicines are available in my house because my mother is elder daughter and she knew most of them. When ever we have any kind of sickness she gives us Ayurvedic medicines. We hardly go to the doctor since we have mother and Our Ayurvedic medicines. My mother too believe in the megic of Ayurvedic Medicinal plants. For me and my family is just loving it.
Now I am going to tell the name of that plant which my Grandfather used to give to the people who were suffering from any kind of throat infections.
“Hygrophila auriculata”. Medicinal plant in the acanthus family that grows in marshy places and is native to tropical Asia and Africa. In India it is commonly known as kokilaksha.
Can use this Whole plants.
Cut this plants into small pieces and if you want you can dry and keep it. But be careful of thorns. Take handfull of Hygrophila auriculata bring it to boil adding two glass of water. Boil for 5 minutes and once it gets cold(lukewarm) take gargle for 4 times a day-
early moring, afternoon, evening and before going to bed. It tastes little bitter but very effective.
Its my humble request to find out on Covid-19 patients. If it works than it would be great joy for me.
Kili Jolsiyar concludes Ayurveda is a pseudo science.
What authority he has got to write his own prejudices without substantiating. Modi ji never told that these remedies or practices will cure Corona. He only said the various recommendations will improve immunity and general health. He cannot be compared with Trump on this count. The unfortunate thing in India is people who have no idea about what science really is claim to be scientific just by criticising others.
This is the time of Science. If Govt wants to make Ayurveda serious alternative to allopathy then it needs to be verified on scientific plateform. Rather then shooting such advertisement thru news papers and secondly they need to ban the self styled Dr. of Ayurveda. Who keep on appearing on TV every now then and shooting off videos with fantastic claims.
Secondly any PM would have taken these steps which have been taken by the Govt. or may be more stringent in my opinion. Since we had sufficient prior knowledge of Corona. In fact we failed. As regards no of cases please look at the tests conducted. We are right at the bottom even far lesser then Pakistan. So please do not give any credit to Govt. or PM for lesser cases. Instead we should stop politics and do some geniune real ground work to save people.
50 lakh people are going to be tried on Ayush medicine. WHO has been approached to get clear guidelines how to scientifically validate the tests results.
Incidentally inUSa inyerest is developing in the use of ayurveda.
My niece who is in kokomaand her husband an anestetist follow Ayurveda for their health needs
my friend’s daughter comes to bangalore from USA every year along with her daughter visit arya vaidys sala and take medicines. She was not happy with yhe sllopatic medicine
Pseudo-science zindabad !!!
Ayush remedies out of reach of starving impoverished hundreds of millions who need employment and a future without incompetent wasteful governance which has caused their poverty. Government as before will lead to hyper inflation and total irreversible ruin of all except those with dollars held abroad.
This has age old remedy for most of the normal fever, cold , cough etc and they are useful remedy to boost immunity , The entire world is believing that Carona is “novel” and are yet to find a remedy. There is no harm people following the preventive medicine recommended by AYUSH. The question is will this cure the so called “novel” virus that’s the question. By the way I don’t know whether government can, at least NGO’s can start distributing a small glass of milk with turmeric to poor people who are not the source of this vrus brought to India by rich and powerful. This would at least help the poor to build their immune. Rather it can become part of mid-day meal where some state do give milk along with other food.
The parallels between President Trump touting the miraculous effects of hydoxychloroquine and PM Modi asserting the “preventive” effects of his concoction are indeed striking. Both peddle pseudo-science from their pulpits, and don’t bother taking advice from medical professionals and scientists who grapple with the complexities of tackling this pandemic.
But while the more educated American public and the free media in the US have lambasted Trump for selling his rubbish, the educated Indian and the fawning Indian press ask no probing questions of their Führer.
Mind-boggling that educated Indians would fall for these “remedies” touted by the Ministry of Hocus-Pocus a.k.a AYUSH.
These are not ‘remedies’ for covid. They re suggested methods to boost immunity.
Misleading title!!
Do you think that the average “bhaiyya” from Adityanathistan would be able to make that distinction? After all, in these columsn, you even find that even the well educated bhakth swallows this claptrap…
Gau Mutr kam nahi karega kya ???
When an illness can be controlled from home, why to go to doctor. Is it not important to build immunity.
People with negative thinking find mistakes even in good things…. That would have become their culture. They cannot see anythong good happening anywhere.
So what is the issue if he is asking to work on immunity ?? Why you think cases are lower in this part of world? It is certainly because of our better immunity (I m not saying we should be proud of it as it is result of our frequent exposure to unhygienic conditions). Do you understand difference between precaution & cure??? These things may not cure if you are infected, but it might help you preventing infection.
Himani this article does not criticize anything Indian. How come? The Print is known for anything which Indian and particularly if attached to Sanatan Dharma. If Ayush Ministry has provided some information proved by ayurveda for thousand of years, what is wrong? Particularly when there is no cure for Corona virus, let people build their immunity
Why is the supporting evidence written in quotes? The author needs to clarify if she found those research papers to be dubious. The suggestive quote marks are no way to communicate information. I like to read ThePrint and I hope you will clarify your stance with evidence from those research papers.
These are difficult times, so one should desist from commenting on Modi ji in a disparaging manner. I find it a welcome change that he is at least leading from the front, effectively or not is a different matter. But call it my cynicism or whatever, I cannot help saying this:
Modi ji has even now good control over the politics of Gujarat. That state has a BJP government. There are lots of cases of coronavirus in Ahmedabad etc, many people have also died of it. Let Modi ji make this ginger-honey nonsense MENDATORY in all hospitals and Healthcare centres of Gujarat if he really has CONVICTION in it, and see the result.