After 'Immunity Booster Kadha' for Covid-19 Patients, CM Shivraj Now Recommends Shlokas & Bhajans as Morale-lifters

Bhopal: Looking for alternatives to help coronavirus patients recover, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has now suggested use of yoga, chants and music for treatment of the infection. This comes a day after the BJP government in the state announced its plan to distribute one crore packets of a kadha (herbal decoction), which it claimed boosts immunity and helps the body keep Covid-19 away.

"Many diseases are cured with love but when it comes to infections like Covid-19 even the mother can't touch her son. So, along with the prevailing system of treatment, elemental practices in Indian traditions can be tried," Chouhan was quoted as saying by the Indian Express after holding a video conference with religious leaders.

Chouhan asked the leaders to send in their suggestions for alternative treatments. "Maybe we will come out with a module for treatment. It could even reduce the death rate," he said, suggesting songs, bhajans and shlokas to boost the morale of Covid-19 patients.

The video interaction came a day after the CM launched 'Jeevan Amrit Yojana', under which 50 gram packets of kadha powder are being distributed. "Our sages and vaidyas (ayurveda doctors of the past) have created medicines which increase immunity and we remain healthy. The special trikuta churna-kadha prepared by our AYUSH department is very effective in increasing immunity," he had said.

As the deadly virus continues to claim lives, people not just in India but outside too, are looking for additional methods, especially in connection with age-old traditions, to help fight the pandemic.

In southern France, a monastery of Benedictine nuns living in seclusion opened its doors to allow recordings of its Gregorian chants to be made available to the outside world.

According to Guardian, the chants are presented together with their simple scores, Latin texts and translations, allowing subscribers to sing together with the nuns.

Recently in Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa met famous Ayurveda doctor Giridhara Kaje at his house to discuss the possibility of experimenting with the ancient Indian medicine to serve as a potential cure against coronavirus.

"Initially we are planning to administer Ayurveda tablets to 10 patients at a designated coronavirus hospital. Depending on the results, we can take a call on the next stage," said Dr Kaje.

The Gujarat government too decided to administer Ayurvedic medicines to 75 asymptomatic Covid-19 patients in hotspot Ahmedabad to see the "time duration of their recovery" as a part of a AYUSH treatment study.

"We have distributed Ukala Amrutpey to over 1.26 crore people using the network of 568 Ayurvedic centres and 38 hospitals. This particular medicine was suggested by a group of 22 experts, and we started its distribution as a preventive medicine on March 6 when no coronavirus case was reported in the state," said AYUSH department Director Bhavna Patel.