NITI Aayog's VK Paul recommends chyawanprash, Ayurveda for Covid immunity

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, senior government health official Dr Vinod Kumar Paul on Tuesday recommended every one to have chyawanprash, an Ayurvedic health supplement and kadha, an Ayurvedic immunity booster drink to improve one's immune system. However, this suggestion drew criticisms from doctors as this could encourage people to try untested therapies. 

Dr Paul said, "If you get Covid-19, consult Ayurveda practitioners for treatment if symptoms are mild or asymptomatic. Take what they give after proper consultation to fight the disease. It is a treatment modality in itself so this also needs to be adopted.”

“To boost immunity to deal with this pandemic, there are guidelines from the government that include adopting Ayurveda and Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) products. Specific recommendations tell us to consume chyawanprash twice a day; have turmeric milk at least once in a day; it is extremely popular among masses we have found in our surveys; and a warm drink made from basil, cinnamon, and black pepper concoction should also be had, along with doing yoga to boost your immunity,” " he added. 

Meanwhile, Dr Paul elaborated on the Centre's decision to fast-track the Emergency Approvals for COVID-19 vaccines produced outside India and said that the front-contenders are vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J). Talking about post-vaccination effects, he urged people to continue wearing masks as there can be an infection even after vaccination. Terming 'masks' as a social vaccine, he said urged that people to get vaccinated at the earliest.

COVID-19 Cases In India

India reported 1,84,372 new COVID-19 cases, 82,339 discharges, and 1,027 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry.

• Total cases: 1,38,73,825
• Total recoveries: 1,23,36,036
• Active cases: 13,65,704
• Death toll: 1,72,085
• Total vaccination: 11,11,79,578

(With Agency Inputs)