Indian Vaidyas speak on Pandemic - 1

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 Two hours online conference from India June 26th 2021. 

It was a transformative experience for me to listen to these 3 physicians and Ayurvedic experts.  Here is my short summary.I have recorded it but am only compiling this from notes and memory. Refinements to come later.



Moderator. Dr. Unnikrishan


First Speaker: Dr F. Rammanohar BAMS MD - advisory board to AYUSH for government of India.


When the pandemic hit early 2020 the Prime Minister of Prime Minister of India met with the AYUSH committee (AYUSH -encompasses Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Traditional natural medicines) telling them that their responses needed to be science based.  Therefore this set a tone for interdisciplinary collaboration.


Many steps were taken to avoid unsubstantiated claims and there was a strong presence of Traditional Medicine and COVID in the media.


These herbs were backed up by science and evidence based research:

Ashwagandha, Gugguli and Pippili, Licorice

Ayur 64 - combination of 4 herbs - had been used for Malaria in India in the past and Ayur 64 - has been shown to be good for mild and moderate cases of COVID.  This took the burden off health centres for  severe cases. These herbs speed up recovery time and prevent progression to severe disease. They are also good for post disease symptoms.


There was a lot of focus on prevention:

The importance of Nasal drops and Oral washes were shown as they were found to prevent entry of the virus.  Much work was done on how to prevent attachment of the virus and therefore entry into the host.

 

When looking at herbs and formulations we can divide them into HOST-CENTRIC or VIRUS-CENTRIC.  Are we strengthening the host or weakening and preventing penetration of the virus. Many of the herbal formulations can be understood in terms of modern science. Some demonstration of priming the immune system has been shown.


We can say with confidence that Ayurveda can help with mild and moderate. And also in severe cases where integrative approach is needed, Ayurveda can help prevent overload of medical systems.


I will post the second speaker tomorrow. Looking forward to reading your comments.

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