India to test four Ayurvedic drugs for COVID-19 within one week

India's federal junior minister for indigenous alternative medicine systems Shripad Y Naik on Thursday said they were working on four traditional medicine formulations to treat COVID-19 infection and the trials will start soon.

Naik heads the ministry for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

"The ministry of AYUSH and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working together on validating four AYUSH formulations against COVID-19 pandemic 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 said in a brief statement posted on social media. "I am sure and quite hopeful that, our traditional medicinal system will show the way to overcome this pandemic."

Last week, India's federal health minister Harsh Vardhan said the clinical trials of AYUSH medicines like Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu, Guduchi Pippali, Ayush-64 on health workers and those working on the frontline in high-risk areas have begun.

According to Vardhan, the ministry of Ayush, the ministry of health and the ministry of science and technology through the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) jointly with technical support of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) were carrying out the trials.

The minister said the trials were being conducted to see the role of Ayurvedic medicine in the fight against the COVID-19.

(CGTN)