New Delhi, May 14: Dabur India has launched clinical trials to assess whether its flagship product Chyawanprash can boost immunity against the coronavirus. According to a Livemint report, the trials which will be conducted at five sites across the country over 6-8 months, will see whether Chyawanprash can help to prevent respiratory disease or reduce the severity of it.

This is in line with the Ministry of Ayush's directive which issued self-care guidelines for preventive health measures and boosting immunity with special reference to respiratory health, amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The Ministry advised having  Chyawanprash' in the morning and 'golden milk' (milk with turmeric) daily.  "Diabetics should take sugar-free Chyawanprash" suggested the Ministry. After this directive, several companies with ayurvedic formulations have been reporting a huge spike in sales. AYUSH Ministry Guidelines For Enhancing Immunity: Self-Care Ayurveda Measures That PM Narendra Modi Referred to in His Address to The Nation.

Trial Protocol:

According to the trial protocol, Mint shared that 600 healthy people between the age of 5 and 70, will be selected uniformly across cities and divided into two groups of 300 each. The control group will be given one cup of milk daily, as per the registry, while the other will be given one or half teaspoon of Chyawanprash twice a day, depending on whether they are an adult or child, followed by a glass of milk. These people will be monitored every 15 days for a period of three months. The investigators will see the incidence of coronavirus in the subjects taking Chyawanprash with those that do not over that period.

The second parameter of the trail would be measured in terms of the duration and severity of the COVID-19 if it occurs in the patient and to see whether those taking the product recover quickly.

Some of the other key recommendations of the Ministry of Ayush included drinking warm water throughout the day and practising Yogasana, Pranayama and meditation daily for at least 30 minutes. The Ministry further stressed on taking herbal tea or decoction ('kadha') made from Tulsi (basil), dalchini (cinnamon), kalimirch (black pepper), shunthi (dry ginger) and munakka (raisin) once or twice a day, with jaggery or fresh lemon juice in it for better taste.

(With additional inputs from IANS)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2020 01:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).