Guj govt to try Ayurvedic drugs on select COVID-19 patients

Ahmedabad, Apr 27 () The Gujarat government willadminister Ayurvedic medicines to 75 asymptomatic COVID-19patients in hotspot Ahmedabad to see the "time duration oftheir recovery" as a part of a AYUSH treatment study, a stateHealth department official said on Monday.

Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said thestate AYUSH department had distributed an Ayurvedic medicinefree-of-cost to over 1.26 crore people in Gujarat with an aimto boost their immunity.

"As many as 7,778 people under quarantine were giventhe Ayurvedic medicine, and only 21 out of them testedpositive for coronavirus," the bureaucrat said.

Ahmedabad has reported a rapid spread of coronavirusand a mortality rate at 4.71 per cent which is higher than thenational average, as per the state government.

The biggest city in Gujarat so far reported 102 deathswith the total 2,167 coronavirus positive cases.

"We have started a new initiative regarding AYUSHtreatment on coronavirus positive patients. A total of 75asymptomatic patients admitted at a COVID Care Centre inAhmedabad have agreed for Ayurvedic treatment to see theduration of time in which they recover," Ravi said in a videomessage.

The 75 patients will be given Ayurvedic medicines likeSamshamni Vati, Dasmool Kvath, Trikatu Churna, besides tulsi,neem, turmeric etc, and will be placed on a special diet, Ravisaid.

Meanwhile, an AYUSH department official said theAyurvedic medicine, 'Ukala Amrutpey,' had been distributed to1.26 crore people through various Ayurvedic and Homoeopathicdispensaries with the hope to boost their immunity.

It was also made available through Panchayat offices,the official said.

"We have distributed Ukala Amrutpey to over 1.26crore people using the network of 568 Ayurvedic centres and 38hospitals. This particular medicine was suggested by a groupof 22 experts, and we started its distribution as a preventivemedicine on March 6 when no coronavirus case was reported inthe state," said AYUSH department Director Bhavna Patel.

Sarpanchs as well as Talathi-level officials have alsobeen helping in the distribution of the medicine, she said.

"The 'Ukala Amrutpey' liquid is a mixture of variousherbs that is to be consumed for a week without a break. It isespecially effective to boost immunity to fight infectionslike coronavirus," Patel said.

She said while Ayurvedic tablet 'Samshamni Vati' hadbeen distributedto more than 3.7 lakh people, the AYUSHdepartment also gave out Homoeopathic medicine 'ArfenicumAlbum-30' to 85.7 lakh people in the state. KA PDNSK NSK