New Delhi - AYUSH Ministry Launches Clinical Research Studies

The AYUSH Ministry, in collaboration with the Health Ministry, will launch clinical research studies on Ayurveda interventions as prophylaxis and as an add-on to standard care for COVID-19.

These studies will be conducted as a joint initiative of the Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Science and Technology through the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) with technical support from ICMR, the AYUSH ministry said in a statement.

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AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will jointly launch on Thursday three AYUSH-based studies related to the COVID-19 situation.

"The (AYUSH) ministry is also studying the impacts of AYUSH-based prophylactic interventions in high-risk populations and AYUSH advocacies and AYUSH measures for the prevention of COVID-19," the statement said.

It has set up an Interdisciplinary Ayush Research and Development Task Force with a group of experts under Dr. Bhushan Patvardhan, Vice Chairman, University Grant Commission (UGC), to formulate and develop strategies for this initiative.

The task force has formulated and designed clinical research protocols for prophylactic studies and add-on interventions in COVID-19 positive cases through a thorough review and consultative process of experts of high repute from different organizations across the country for studying four different interventions:

• Ashwagandha
• Yashtimadhu
• Guduchi + Pippali
• A poly herbal formulation (AYUSH-64)

The ministry has also developed the Ayush Sanjivani mobile app for generating data from a large population with a target of 5 million people.

"The core expected outcomes include generating data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact on the prevention of COVID-19," the statement stated.

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