Coronavirus: AYUSH hands out herbal decoction to boost immunity, asks states to promote its manufacturing

Recipe of a herbal decoction has been handed out by the AYUSH Ministry to states and union territories, asking them to promote commercial manufacturing of the formulation which it claims can boost the body's immunity amid COVID-19.

The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) said the formulation is in the interest of health promotion of masses, which has been endorsed by the prime minister.

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The formulation made of herbs tulsi (basil leaves), Dalchini (cinnamon bark ), Sunthi (dry ginger powder) and krishna marich (black pepper) will be manufactured and sold in generic name ‘Ayush Kwath’ or ‘Ayush Kudineer’ or ‘Ayush Joshanda’, according to a letter written by the ministry to all the States/UTs and ASU drug manufacturers on April 24.

"Considering the importance of immunity-boosting measures in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Ministry of AYUSH intends to promote the use of following ready-made Ayush formulation in the interest of health promotion of the masses, which has been endorsed by the Prime Minister during his address to the nation on the Constitution Day, April 14," the ministry said.

"States/UT governments are hereby requested to direct the AYUSH licensing authorities to consider granting license/approval for manufacturing of above-mentioned formulation to the interested licensed Ayurveda/Siddha/Unani drug manufacturers in accordance with the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945," the letter stated.

In line with the advisory, a firm engaged in producing a range of herbal products has already started the process of manufacturing the ‘Ayush Kwath', ministry sources said.

The formulation will be available in powder and tablet forms in the market at the earliest, KK Sharma, Managing Director of the firm, AIMIL Pharma, said.

“The ‘Ayush Kwath’ will have all the herbs enlisted by the Ministry. Various reports have shown that coronavirus has been found to be fatal for people with weak immune system. There are many herbs in Indian traditional system that can boost immunity and keep many diseases away,” Sharma said.

The AYUSH ministry's letter also explained the method of preparation. It said the formulation can be dissolved in hot water or taken in tablet form.

According to health experts, while coronavirus reduces the immune response of the infected person, it has also been observed that mostly it targets people with a low immune system. Experts feel that the improvement of the immune system helps in reducing the effects of the infection and also fight COVID-19.

The prime minister in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio programme on Sunday reiterated usage of AYUSH healthcare systems, saying that people across the world are paying special attention to the importance of Ayurveda and yoga amid the COVID-19 pandemic.