Randomized placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial on the efficacy of ayurvedic treatment regime on COVID-19 positive patients
Authors
Ganpat Devpura
aDepartment of Medicine, National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur-Delhi Highway (NH-11C), Jaipur 303121, Rajasthan, India
Balvir Tomar
bDepartment of Pediatrics, National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur-Delhi Highway (NH-11C) Expy, Shobha Nagar, Jaipur 303121, Rajasthan, India
Deepak Nathiya
cDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur-Delhi Highway (NH-11C), Jaipur 303121, Rajasthan, India
Abhishek Sharma
aDepartment of Medicine, National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur-Delhi Highway (NH-11C), Jaipur 303121, Rajasthan, India
Swati Haldar
eDrug Discovery and Development Division, Patanjali Research Institute, Roorkee-Haridwar Road, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
Acharya Balkrishna
eDrug Discovery and Development Division, Patanjali Research Institute, Roorkee-Haridwar Road, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
Anurag Varshney
eDrug Discovery and Development Division, Patanjali Research Institute, Roorkee-Haridwar Road, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
Keywords:
COVID-19, Randomized placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial, Swasari Ras, Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Ocimum sanctum, Anu taila, Ayurveda
Abstract
Specific treatment for COVID-19 is still an unmet need. Outcomes of clinical trials on repurposed drugs have not been yielding success. Therefore, it is necessary to include complementary approaches of medicine against COVID-19.
Purpose
This study was designed to evaluate the impact of traditional Indian Ayurvedic treatment regime on asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 infection.
Study design
It is a placebo controlled randomized double-blind pilot clinical trial.
Methods
The study was registered with Clinical Trial Registry-India (vide Registration No. CTRI/2020/05/025273) and conducted at the Department of Medicine in National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jaipur, India. 1 g of Giloy Ghanvati (Tinospora cordifolia) and 2 g of Swasari Ras (traditional herbo-mineral formulation) and 0.5 g each of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Tulsi Ghanvati (Ocimum sanctum) were given orally to the patients in treatment group twice per day for 7 days. Medicines were given in the form of tablets and each tablet weighed 500 mg. While, Swasari Ras was administered in powdered form, 30 min before breakfasts and dinners, rest were scheduled for 30 min post-meals. Patients in the treatment group also received 4 drops of Anu taila (traditional nasal drop) in each nostril every day 1 h before breakfast. Patients in the placebo group received identical-looking tablets and drops, post randomization and double blinded assortments. RT-qPCR test was used for the detection of viral load in the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples of study participants during the study. Chemiluminescent immunometric assay was used to quantify serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on day 1 and day 7 of the study.
Results
By day 3, 71.1 % and 50.0 % patients recovered in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively. Treatment group witnessed 100 % recovery by day 7, while it was 60.0 % in the placebo group. Average fold changes in serum levels of hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α in treatment group were respectively, 12.4, 2.5 and 20 times lesser than those in the placebo group at day 7. There was 40 % absolute reduction in the risk of delayed recovery from infection in the treatment group.
Conclusions
Ayurvedic treatment can expedite virological clearance, help in faster recovery and concomitantly reduce the risk of viral dissemination. Reduced inflammation markers suggested less severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the treatment group. Moreover, there was no adverse effect observed to be associated with this treatment.
Keywords: COVID-19, Randomized placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial, Swasari Ras, Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Ocimum sanctum, Anu taila, Ayurveda
Author Biographies
Acharya Balkrishna, eDrug Discovery and Development Division, Patanjali Research Institute, Roorkee-Haridwar Road, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
fDepartment of Allied and Applied Sciences, University of Patanjali, NH-58, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
Anurag Varshney, eDrug Discovery and Development Division, Patanjali Research Institute, Roorkee-Haridwar Road, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
fDepartment of Allied and Applied Sciences, University of Patanjali, NH-58, Haridwar 249405, Uttarakhand, India
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