Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also urged AYUSH practitioners to pitch in to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak that has infected over 21,000 people in India, over 5,000 researchers of Indian traditional medicine have sent COVID-19 cure proposal to AYUSH Ministry. Flooded with the proposals, the union ministry has asked researchers to follow the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines and also ensure the presence of an expert in the team, The Economic Times has reported.
According to the ministry’s notification, any research in the field of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) should be registered with ICMR’s Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI), said the report.
The ministry has received over 5,000 proposals that have suggestions on how India can fight the highly infectious disease, an official in the ministry told the publication.
The effort is laudable but the ministry needs this to be a more science-backed, streamlined affair, the official said, adding that they wanted the process to become structured for researchers in this field.
As per the notification issued by AYUSH Ministry, the rules are put in place as, “though there is no cure for COVID-19 yet and Indian traditional systems have been used for prevention, it is important that every formulation has scientific backing to it”.
The notification further states that Indian traditional medicines have “a wide, long-standing use in the community, huge number of ancient references and a large number of publications.”
“It is, however, essential to have scientific evidence on the use of any formulation for the prevention and management of COVID-19. Thus, it was felt necessary to make serious efforts for the development of a drug-based AYUSH system recognised under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940,” the notification reads.
It is for the first time that extensive discussions have been held with officials from the health ministry and ICMR to get AYUSH researchers recognised through official channels, said the report citing officials.
The ministry issued a notification on March 31, asking AYUSH practitioners and institutions to submit their inputs, which were to be reviewed by a task force consisting of representatives from the department of biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and AYUSH practitioners.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged AYUSH practitioners to pitch in to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. He has also been exhorting the citizens of India to fall back on traditional home remedies during times of such a global health crisis to boost their immunity.Time to show-off your poker skills and win Rs.25 lakhs with no investment. Register Now!
