The companies that market these products have taken advantage of the association between COVID-19 and immunity.
For a pharmacy that is usually full of drugs, Noida owner Mahesh Agrawal prominently displays his Dabur Chyawanprash packaging. “There is a lot of demand for them along with the honey and sales have increased since the unlocking began.”
Several grocery stores and stores that sell organic labeled products say they have seen strong demand for products that are even tangentially linked to “boosting immunity.”
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Amul markets turmeric flavored milk called Amul “Haldi Doodh”, which claims to have the “goodness of milk with the centuries-old healing and immunity-boosting properties of haldi.”
Growing feeling
A July report from the market research company Nielsen says that sales of chyawanprash increased 283% in June, while sales of brand-name honey increased 39%. “There is a growing feeling towards ‘local’ with growing support for Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Ayurveda,” the report said.
“From April to June, we saw demand growth of almost seven times [compared to last year] for Dabur Chyawanprash. Other Ayurvedic products like Ashwagandha, Dabur Giloy Ghanvati, Dabur Health Juices like Amla Juice, Giloy-Neem-Tulsi Juice, etc. have also seen strong growth, ”said Mohit Malhotra, CEO of Dabur India. The Hindu. “People are now more inclined to prophylactic health remedies, especially products that boost immunity. This trend would continue in the future. “
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Buyers said The Hindu that although they did not believe that immunity products would protect them from COVID-19, they saw it as a way to boost their immune defenses. “I regularly take chyawanprash but I will never go to an Ayurveda doctor,” said Swapan Banerjee, a teacher. “These products are harmless and play a role in overall good health, from my experience, but they are not substitutes for masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds and getting tested.”
Companies that have been marketing these products have taken advantage of the association between COVID-19 and immunity and the government’s encouragement of Ayurveda and yoga for mild and moderate infections, as well as to aid recovery after COVID-19.
An 11-member committee led by the former ICMR chief recommended that in the “short term …” aqueous extract of Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), guduchi + pippali (Piper longum), aqueous extracts, and AYUSH 64 (a multi-herb drug developed by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences) for inclusion in standard care for mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 ”.
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However, a reading of the listed research studies shows that none of them have been fully tested for their effectiveness in managing COVID and all the evidence is based on the effects of herbs to control fever in malaria and in the recovery from “flu-like illness.”
High bonding efficiency
Ashwagandha has been recommended by the committee because laboratory studies show that it “inhibited entry” of SARS-CoV-2 viruses into healthy cells and guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) showed “high binding efficiency” against targets. of SARS-CoV-2 involved in virus binding and replication, compared to Favipiravir, Lopinavir / Ritonavir “.
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However, unlike the latter, these have not been tested in controlled comparative trials. In fact, the most recent human trials show that all drugs that in laboratory studies showed promising antiviral activity, but were not significantly effective in improving disease outcomes.
Viral cells, as it is now understood, infiltrate lung cells and multiply. SARS-CoV-2, scientists say, is particularly sneaky, and the body’s immune system is often unable to detect these viral particles early on to neutralize them and keep them proliferating. As seen in cases of people suffering from a severe infection, the immune system becomes overloaded. The body is flooded with chemical messengers called cytokines that, while alerting the body’s defense cells to destroy the virus, also trigger inflammation in multiple organs. To stop such an overreaction, which often ends up being fatal, steroids such as dexamethasone are given.
Therefore, the holy grail of COVID treatment is ensuring that the immune system fights the virus without going crazy.
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Complex blend of herbs
In the Ayurvedic system, chyawanprash is a “complex mixture of herbs” and several common herbs, such as turmeric, black pepper, and ginger infusions, contribute in various measures to keeping the immune system in a state of readiness to fight pathogens said one expert.
“Turmeric, Ashwagandha, giloy confer varying degrees of immunity and can confer varying degrees of benefit to different people, depending on their individual constitution,” said Bhavna Prasher, Ayurvedic physician and scientist at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology.
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From the point of view of modern science, there are two types of immunity: one is “innate” immunity, which is the first line of defense against infection. A class of cells called “natural killer cells” and produced in the bone marrow directly attack infectious microbes. The other, called adaptive immunity, where specialized cells produced in the thymus gland actively monitor and produce antibodies that are specific for viruses and bacteria. Both systems work together.
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The Ayurvedic literature, Prasher said, suggests that several of the herbs have been tested in immune disorders, and there is evidence to show that many of them have “immunomodulatory” properties, meaning that they can amplify or suppress immune system responses.
“They are good for maintaining the body or bringing it towards a state of homeostasis, a state of internal stability that allows the body to remain in a healthy state. However, Ayurveda is not just about these formulations and depending on the degree of disease, there are other interventions. They are popular because they are not harmful and are generally protective. “
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