Coronavirus: India to test 4 Ayurvedic formulations within a week

India will soon begin work on four ayurvedic medicine formulations to treat coronavirus infection. The trials are expected to start within a week, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Y Naik said. "The @moayush & the @CSIR_IND are working together on validating four Ayush formulations against #COVID19Pandemic and the trials will start within one week. These formulations will be tried as an add-on therapy and standard care for COVID-19 patients," Naik tweeted.

The minister said that he was "hopeful" that India's traditional medicinal system would show a positive outcome and pave "way to overcome this pandemic". AYUSH or Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy is purposed with developing education, research and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India.

CSIR Director General Shekhar Mande on May 7 had said that there is a need for many of the Ayurvedic formulations. These could be tried from the perspective of modern science to get acceptability, he added.

The total confirmed coronavirus cases in India surged to 78,003 Thursday. It includes 49,219 active cases, 26,234 cured or discharged, 1 migrated, and 2,549 deaths, the latest data by Union Health Ministry showed. India saw 3,722 fresh cases, and 134 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold her second media briefing on Thursday to outline the government's Rs 20 lakh crore special economic stimulus package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

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