‘A conflict of interest mars paper on Ayurvedic Covid drug Coronil – and it should be retracted’

‘Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his FMCG company Patanjali Ayurved have recently been in the news for advancing a supposedly Ayurvedic drug named Coronil as the “first evidence-based medicine” for COVID-19. But despite the dubiety of this claim, Coronil has been approved for sale by the Government of India on the sole basis of a scientific paper, published in the journal Phytomedicine in February 2021.

‘A previous article discussed the wobbly assertions in the paper and their mismatch with Patanjali’s conclusion that Coronil has been properly tested or that it is efficacious. But there is another bit of detail that may disqualify the paper’s publication itself. In the paper’s ‘Declaration of Competing Interest’ section, the authors say:

“Authors declare no conflict of interests with regards to the submitted work. The medications were provided by Divya Pharmacy, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. Acharya Balkrishna is an honorary trustee in Divya Yog Mandir Trust. Besides, providing the medications, Divya Pharmacy was not involved in any aspect of the clinical trial reported in this study. Clinical trial was conducted at National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, India.”

Read here (Science TheWire, Mar 3, 2021)

Coronil: The misleading claims about an Indian remedy

‘A controversial herbal concoction has been in the news again in India, with renewed claims that it is effective against coronavirus. The substance, called Coronil, was launched recently at an event attended by some Indian government ministers. But there is no evidence that it works, and misleading claims have been made about approval for its use.’

Read here (BBC, Mar 2, 2021) 

The essential but invisible trade: TRAFFIC sounds alarm over sustainability of wild plants used to treat Covid-19

‘Wild plant species used in herbal treatments of Covid-19 are set to come under heightened harvesting pressure, both as a result of increased demand and because of more people turning to wild harvesting as an alternative source of income during times of high unemployment and economic crisis. The future availability of plant ingredients to support human health—through medicines, food and well-being products—is dependent on prioritising the conservation and sustainable use of their source species in the long-term.’

Read here (Traffic, June 18, 2020)

Lianhua Qingwen (TCM product) approved for sale in Singapore

‘Lianhua Qingwen, a recommended medicine for treating patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms, has been approved as a Chinese proprietary medicine by the Health Sciences Authority in Singapore. The designation means the product can be sold in the country as a medicine, the drug’s manufacturer said.’

Read here (GMP News, May 7, 2020) 

Coronavirus is not an enemy rather a courier

‘The Dao philosophical and medicinal way of tackling Covid-19 has been effective in China and need to be widely adopted...

‘If we regard COVID-19 as an ecological crisis, it requires a brand new thinking, a comprehensive, organic thinking which treats COVID-19 as political, economic, philosophical, ethical, and psychological issue.

‘We recommend Dao thinking. According to Dao or process-relational thinking, everything is closely related to one another. The COVID-19 crisis is a result of many causes. This means that tackling COVID-19 should be carried out in a multi-faceted way. Therefore it will require everybody’s active participation, and everyone including scientists, economists, educators, philosophers, government officials, ordinary people should take some responsibilities. We should rethink our development model, our way of thinking, our way of living, our way of consumption, our way of production, our dietary habits, and our education system, etc. All of them are closely related to the cause and cure of COVID-19.’

Read here (MR Online, Apr 23, 2020)

Beijing approves TCM drugs for Covid-19

‘China has added three patented items of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) to the treatments for COVID-19. The drugs, specifically Jinhua Qinggan granules, Lianhua Qingwen capsules, and Xuebijing injections have undergone clinical trials with the National Medical Products Administration and now list treating COVID-19 as one of their uses. 

"That means these three drugs have passed strict reviews by the administration, and can be commonly and widely used in China. Their effects are exact and backed with ample evidence. So people may have a new choice if there's a similar epidemic in the future," said Zhang Boli, president of Tianjin Hospital of TCM.’

Read here (CGTN, April 4, 2020)

Six effective traditional Chinese medicines for Covid-19

‘Traditional Chinese medicine has been playing a critical role in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of the COVID-19. Official figures showed that, up to Sunday, 91.6 percent of the patients in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, and 92.4 percent of the patients nationwide have been treated with TCM. "Three formulas and three medicines" have been proven to be effective in curbing the virus, according to the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine:

1. Jinhua Qinggan Granule (金花清感颗粒) 
2. Lianhua Qingwen Capsule/Granule (连花清瘟胶囊/颗粒)
3. Xuebijing Injection (血必净注射液)
4. Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction (清肺排毒汤)
5. HuaShiBaiDu Formula (化湿败毒方)
6. XuanFeiBaiDu Granule (宣肺败毒颗粒)

Read here (China Daily, Mar 17, 2020)