ABSTRACT
This is the first known case of a Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive patient treated entirely with Ayurveda. So far in Modern Western Medicine (MWM), no cure has been found which is specific to COVID-19. The only literature relevant to the treatment of Coronavirus disease has surfaced from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM which was extensively used to control the epidemic in China, also consists of herbal medicines similar to Ayurveda. In this case, the patient, who was familiar with the use of Ayurvedic medicines, fully aware that no proven cure exists in MWM, decided to entirely rely on the limited Ayurvedic medicines that he had in his possession at the time of falling ill. Despite the patient presenting with symptoms, namely high fever, severe body pain and severe cough, along with many of the other associated symptoms of COVID-19, the progress of the disease could be arrested within a short period by being exclusively on Ayurvedic medicines. This illustrates that there is a wide scope to explore the variety of pertinent medicines present in Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia which can be used more rationally to suit every stage of the disease. Being the first-of-its-kind it is a valuable contribution to scientific literature from the world of Ayurveda. This should encourage the healthcare policy makers to quickly use Ayurveda to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control in India, as they seemed to have demonstrated it in China with TCM.
ABSTRACT
We report a case-series of Ayurvedic treatment in seven COVID-19 positive patients with multiple co-morbidities, categorized as high-risk for poor outcome from SARS-CoV-2 infection. All of them recovered completely from their illness with resolution of symptoms following Ayurvedic treatment. The data was collected from patients treated during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (June 2020 to September 2020) at an out-patient Ayurvedic Clinic, Chennai, India. This is a retrospective case series from among the initial 247 COVID-19 patients out of whom 39% were found to be suffering from co-morbidities. We have chosen seven of these patients who fulfilled the criteria for high-risk category, represented by multiple co-morbidities that included cancer, chronic kidney disease (CKD), coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and an elderly person over the age of 90 years. Classical Ayurvedic formulations for COVID -19 were chosen so as to avoid complicating co-morbid conditions and patients were maintained on a modified diet. All these high-risk patients were treated at an out-patient setting. The patients were under home quarantine and self-monitored their progress with daily follow-up over the phone by the treating Ayurvedic physician. The main outcome measure included resolution of symptoms and complete recovery from COVID-19 disease in all patients. This case series demonstrates the scope of Ayurvedic interventions in the management of high-risk COVID-19 patients with severe co-morbidities with successful outcome in an out-patient setting.
ABSTRACT
This article reports the treatment outcomes of 167 COVID-19 positive patients who were treated with a stand-alone Ayurvedic therapeutic intervention. The main outcomes are quick resolution of symptoms, no deterioration in any of the cases and safe treatment for patients with multiple comorbidities. There was no observed mortality. There were no adverse events due to the Ayurvedic medications. The treatment was undertaken in an out-patient setting and at a low cost. The efficacy and safety of the treatment, and the quick resolution of symptoms were demonstrated. This shows that if COVID-19 patients are treated with Ayurvedic medicines early in the course of COVID-SARS-2 infection, Ayurveda has the potential to prevent progression and deterioration of the disease, with decreased morbidity and mortality.