AYUVERDA FOR COVID -19 PANDEMIC

INTRODUCTION:

According to WHO, COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2,
which is a respiratory pathogen. It is a rapidly changing and evolving situation. WHO is constantly
monitoring it and updating the information available regarding its spread, mortality and morbidity
So far in modern western medicine, no cure has been found to COVID-19.

WHAT COVID-19 MEANS?

The infectious disease caused by naval coronavirus with respiratory pathogen. The common
symptom of this disease are fever, dry cough, fatigue and other symptoms which are seen are loss of
taste or smell. Nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, muscle or joint pain, etc.

Symptoms of severe covid-19 disease are shortness of breath, loss of appetite, confusion, persistent
pain, high temperature

CHINA IN PANDEMIC:

WHO first learned of this new virus from cases in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China on 31
December 2019. Traditional Chinese medicine which was extensively used to control the pandemic
in china, also consist of herbal medicines similar to 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 traditional Chinese medicine.

AYURVEDA IN PANDEMIC

In Ayurveda point of view this infectious disease is a janapadodhwamsa vikara which is explained in
Charaka Samhita: vimana sthana chapter 3, “the factors which are common to all individuals and
vitiation of these factors leads to the simultaneous manifestation of diseases having the same set of
symptoms leading to the destruction of countries.

Janapadodhwamsa is a situation where the environment - air, water, land and seasons - is vitiated,
causing a simultaneous manifestation of a disease among large populations, destroying human
habitations.

In India there is precedence of treating the Chikungunya virus epidemic with Ayurveda and Siddha
medicines. However, there is no attempt in India to directly employ Ayurvedic medicines in the
treatment of Coronavirus disease.

SAMHITA EXPLAINATION ON COVID-19

The Roga Marga is abhyantara, as jwara (fever), svasa (respiratory distress) and kasa (cough), the
three major symptoms of COVID-19 belong to this roga marga. Abhyantara roga marga is one of the
three roga margas described in Ashtanga Hrdayam.

In Ayurveda it can be classified with a Vata-Kapha predominant fever with all the characteristics of a
Janapadodhwamsa vikara. It is a highly contagious disease. The methods by which contagious
diseases spread from one person to another is described in Sushruta Samhita: Nidana Sthana,
Chapter 5.
The spread and affliction caused by the virus in this jwara can be understood in Ayurveda under the
Bhoota abhishanga classification. According to Ayurveda, agantu jwara is to be treated as a nija
jwara caused by an imbalance of doshas, explained by charaka Samhita, Chikitsa sthana chapter 3
and Nidana sthana chapter 1.

CONCLUSION:

India is in a position to use the wealth of knowledge available in the Indian Systems of Medicine, to
cure this disease and control the epidemic. This is an invaluable opportunity for demonstrating the
efficacy of Ayurveda.

NAME OF THE PARTICIPANT: HARINI B

INSTITUTE: SRI PARIPOORNA SANTHANA AYURVEDA MEDICAL COLLEGE AND
RESEARCH CENTRE
EMAIL ADDRESS: harinibala112000@gmail.com
CONTACT NUMBER:8610616835