Nasal application of cow ghee, gargling with water boiled using certain Ayurvedic herbs, turmeric and salt and inhalation with ajwain and peppermint are among the way that could prevent Covid-19 infection, according to a new clinical management protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga released by the government on Tuesday.

“Ayurveda and Yoga can certainly play a pivotal role to augment preventive measures provided in the guidelines by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The current understanding of Covid-19 indicates that good immune status is vital to prevention and to safeguard from disease progression,” an official statement said.

According to a consensus document prepared by a team of Ayurveda and Yoga experts drawn from a host of institutions, ashwagandha , or Withania somnifera, and a concoction containing aqueous extract or powder of immune system boosting herb Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi in Sanskrit) can be useful as prophylactic care for high-risk population and primate contact of Covid-19 patients if taken twice a day for 15 days. Besides, they can also use Chyawanprasha once a day, it said.

For mild Covid-19 patients

Mild Covid-19 positive patients, who do not have breathlessness, can benefit from taking aqueous extracts of Guduchi and Piper longum ( Pipli ) for 15 days. They can also take Ayush 64, a polyherbal formulation.

The protocol also listed out many yoga postures, including pranayamas , that helping in the clinical management of Covid-19.

It was an interdisciplinary committee for integration of Ayurveda and yoga interventions, led by former Indian Council of Medical Research Director General V M Katoch, developed the protocol.

The new protocol is particularly useful for managing mild cases. Patients suffering from moderate to severe infection should be informed of treatment options available to them, while all severe patients should be referred to Covid-19 care facilities, the statement said.

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