Ministry of Ayush issues Covid guidelines for Ayurveda, Unani practitioners

Responding to the need for fresh guidelines amid the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Ayush has released revised guidelines for Ayurveda and Unani practitioners for COVID-19 patients in home isolation and Ayurveda and Unani preventive measures for self-care.

In a media release, the ministry said the main focus of the guidelines is on self-care and home management of COVID-19, as the vast majority of COVID-affected families in the country are forced to negotiate the pandemic out of hospitals.

"These guidelines for COVID-19 patients in home isolation and preventive measures for self-care are based on leads from classical Ayurveda and Unani texts, the outcome of research studies, reports and recommendations of the interdisciplinary committee and which will further strengthen our fight in combating COVID-19 in the emerging situation," the ministry said.

"Notably, these guidelines and advisories were developed through an extensive consultative process by the Empowered Committee within the Interdisciplinary Ayush Research and Development Task Force set up by the Ministry of Ayush."

The ministry said the Project Monitoring Unit for COVID-19 studies, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) and National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) worked on formulating the advisories and Guidelines.

"The present guidelines and self-care measures provide clear guidance to Ayurveda and Unani practitioners regarding the treatment of COVID-19 patients in different conditions of infection. This brings in uniformity and consistency in the Ayush-based responses to the pandemic across the country. It also helps state and UT governments to plan and incorporate these solutions into the COVID-19 management activities being deployed on the ground. Furthermore, these measures and guidelines contribute to the mainstreaming of Ayush solutions for the management of COVID-19 and will be immensely beneficial to the public since these solutions are easily accessible and will help to alleviate the hardships brought in by the pandemic," it said.

The ministry said the guidelines are aimed to increase awareness among the citizens regarding effective home care solutions and recommended Ayush practices, to help them to enhance their immunity along with standard guidelines for Ayurveda and Unani practitioners for management of prophylactic, asymptomatic and mild cases of COVID-19 during home isolation.

The ministry had on January 29, last year, issued an advisory on how to protect oneself from COVID-19 and how to stay healthy. In this context, the ministry has also promoted the use of ready-made formulation like 'AyushKwath'(Ayurveda) which is a simple admixture of four herbal ingredients which are well known in India and outside India for their immunomodulatory and anti-viral activities along with several other health benefits.

"Considering the seasonal changes, patient's constitution it has been advised that Vasa (Malabar nut), Yashtimadhu (Liquorice root) and Guduchi (Giloy) may be added to the Kwatha as per requirement," the ministry said.

It added that keeping a note on the present public health challenges due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, there is a requirement to urgently disseminate information about the guidelines for Ayurveda and Unani practitioners for the management of COVID-19 patients during home isolation.

"The effective evidence-based Ayurveda and Unani formulations/measures such as AYUSH-64, Ashwagandha tablets, etc. have been included for the management of asymptomatic and mild cases of COVID-19 during home isolation," it said.