BACK

Are there ayurveda cures for COVID-19?

Are there ayurveda cures for COVID-19?

This article was published on
June 15, 2020

This explainer is more than 90 days old. Some of the information might be out of date or no longer relevant. Browse our homepage for up to date content or request information about a specific topic from our team of scientists.

This article has been translated from its original language. Please reach out if you have any feedback on the translation.

Ayurveda is ancient Indian medical system that focuses on natural, holistic approaches to physical and mental health. Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that Ayurvedic medicine cures or prevents COVID-19. Similar claims for Ayurvedic cures have been made in the past for other infectious diseases with no known cure, such as HIV/AIDS, without any reliable evidence. Such bold claims should always be treated with caution. In this particular case, the CEO of a major manufacturer of herbal products has claimed to have produced an Ayurvedic cure without providing any independent data to support these claims. While the company claims to have tested hundreds of patients in a "clinical case study" which showed a 100% recovery rate, it is unclear whether any control group was included or whether the design of the study was strong enough to substantiate such claims. In addition, the company stated that all patients tested negative for the virus within 5-14 days after receiving the Ayurvedic medicine, but it is unclear how long each patient had the virus or were symptomatic. The study also falsely claimed that Ayurvedic medicine is a cure for COVID-19 without disclosing how many patients were included in their research and how they can be sure that patients would not have tested negative naturally once the immune system fought off the infection over time. Ayurvedic medicine may be a helpful complement to Western medicine, and may not actively cause harm in some cases, but it should not be consumed as a cure for COVID-19. Instead, traditional prevention measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, should be followed to prevent infections.

Ayurveda is ancient Indian medical system that focuses on natural, holistic approaches to physical and mental health. Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that Ayurvedic medicine cures or prevents COVID-19. Similar claims for Ayurvedic cures have been made in the past for other infectious diseases with no known cure, such as HIV/AIDS, without any reliable evidence. Such bold claims should always be treated with caution. In this particular case, the CEO of a major manufacturer of herbal products has claimed to have produced an Ayurvedic cure without providing any independent data to support these claims. While the company claims to have tested hundreds of patients in a "clinical case study" which showed a 100% recovery rate, it is unclear whether any control group was included or whether the design of the study was strong enough to substantiate such claims. In addition, the company stated that all patients tested negative for the virus within 5-14 days after receiving the Ayurvedic medicine, but it is unclear how long each patient had the virus or were symptomatic. The study also falsely claimed that Ayurvedic medicine is a cure for COVID-19 without disclosing how many patients were included in their research and how they can be sure that patients would not have tested negative naturally once the immune system fought off the infection over time. Ayurvedic medicine may be a helpful complement to Western medicine, and may not actively cause harm in some cases, but it should not be consumed as a cure for COVID-19. Instead, traditional prevention measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, should be followed to prevent infections.

Publication

What our experts say

Ayurveda is ancient Indian medical system that focuses on natural, holistic approaches to physical and mental health. Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that Ayurvedic medicine cures or prevents COVID-19. Similar claims for Ayurvedic cures have been made in the past for other infectious diseases with no known cure, such as HIV/AIDS, without any reliable evidence. Such bold claims should always be treated with caution. In this particular case, the CEO of a major manufacturer of herbal products has claimed to have produced an Ayurvedic cure without providing any independent data to support these claims. While the company claims to have tested hundreds of patients in a "clinical case study" which showed a 100% recovery rate, it is unclear whether any control group was included or whether the design of the study was strong enough to substantiate such claims. In addition, the company stated that all patients tested negative for the virus within 5-14 days after receiving the Ayurvedic medicine, but it is unclear how long each patient had the virus or were symptomatic. The study also falsely claimed that Ayurvedic medicine is a cure for COVID-19 without disclosing how many patients were included in their research and how they can be sure that patients would not have tested negative naturally once the immune system fought off the infection over time. Ayurvedic medicine may be a helpful complement to Western medicine, and may not actively cause harm in some cases, but it should not be consumed as a cure for COVID-19. Instead, traditional prevention measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, should be followed to prevent infections.

Ayurveda is ancient Indian medical system that focuses on natural, holistic approaches to physical and mental health. Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that Ayurvedic medicine cures or prevents COVID-19. Similar claims for Ayurvedic cures have been made in the past for other infectious diseases with no known cure, such as HIV/AIDS, without any reliable evidence. Such bold claims should always be treated with caution. In this particular case, the CEO of a major manufacturer of herbal products has claimed to have produced an Ayurvedic cure without providing any independent data to support these claims. While the company claims to have tested hundreds of patients in a "clinical case study" which showed a 100% recovery rate, it is unclear whether any control group was included or whether the design of the study was strong enough to substantiate such claims. In addition, the company stated that all patients tested negative for the virus within 5-14 days after receiving the Ayurvedic medicine, but it is unclear how long each patient had the virus or were symptomatic. The study also falsely claimed that Ayurvedic medicine is a cure for COVID-19 without disclosing how many patients were included in their research and how they can be sure that patients would not have tested negative naturally once the immune system fought off the infection over time. Ayurvedic medicine may be a helpful complement to Western medicine, and may not actively cause harm in some cases, but it should not be consumed as a cure for COVID-19. Instead, traditional prevention measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, should be followed to prevent infections.

Context and background

Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest systems of traditional medicine. Since there is no approved treatment for COVID-19 yet, many people are turning to alternative or traditional medicine for answers. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a major manufacturer of herbal products, Patanjali, has claimed that the company has found an Ayurvedic cure for COVID-19. Patanjali claims that COVID-19 patients showed a 100% recovery rate when administered the Ayurvedic medicine known as 'Coronil,' which is comprised of a mixture of Tulsi, Giloy, and Ashwagandha. It is unclear whether this was a randomized controlled trial, and the company has claimed it conducted a clinical case study with "hundreds of positive patients," which showed "100 percent favorable results." The clinical trials were claimed to have been conducted in two cities in India after securing regulatory approval last week. According to the press release, COVID-19 patients who were administered Ayurvedic medicine recovered in 2-14 days and tested negative for the virus, but no data has been released to the public yet.

Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest systems of traditional medicine. Since there is no approved treatment for COVID-19 yet, many people are turning to alternative or traditional medicine for answers. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a major manufacturer of herbal products, Patanjali, has claimed that the company has found an Ayurvedic cure for COVID-19. Patanjali claims that COVID-19 patients showed a 100% recovery rate when administered the Ayurvedic medicine known as 'Coronil,' which is comprised of a mixture of Tulsi, Giloy, and Ashwagandha. It is unclear whether this was a randomized controlled trial, and the company has claimed it conducted a clinical case study with "hundreds of positive patients," which showed "100 percent favorable results." The clinical trials were claimed to have been conducted in two cities in India after securing regulatory approval last week. According to the press release, COVID-19 patients who were administered Ayurvedic medicine recovered in 2-14 days and tested negative for the virus, but no data has been released to the public yet.

Resources

  1. Ayurveda (Hopkins medicine)
  2. Coronil for COVID-19: Patanjali claims its Ayurvedic medicine can cure coronavirus infection (Times Now)
  3. Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth (NIH)
  1. Ayurveda (Hopkins medicine)
  2. Coronil for COVID-19: Patanjali claims its Ayurvedic medicine can cure coronavirus infection (Times Now)
  3. Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth (NIH)

Media briefing

Media Release

Expert Comments: 

No items found.

Q&A

No items found.