Ayurvedic Intervention and COVID-19

Abstract

Ayurveda focuses on the diet, lifestyle, herbal medicines, and herbo-mineral medicines as per the specific constitution (Prakriti) of an individual. In this COVID-pandemic, various healthcare systems dynamically respond to combat the disease. Ayurveda also has evidence on case studies and case reports treated through Ayurvedic intervention. Therefore, there is a need for systematic review of all studies of COVID-19 and Ayurvedic intervention. The aim of this study was to systematically review the available case studies and case reports on Ayurvedic formulations/interventions in COVID-19. The published data were retrieved from MEDLINE, Embase, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, MedRxiv, and OSF on July 1, 2021. The search did not include any restrictions. Case reports and case studies published for COVID-19 through Ayurvedic formulation/intervention. Standard method for data extraction and coding was developed for the analysis of the eligible case studies and case reports. A total of 59 studies were collected from different databases; among them, extractions were made for repetitive studies; after extraction, only 17 studies were taken. The present systematic review proves that Ayurveda science is safe and effective without an adverse effect in treating COVID-19 even in high-risk, comorbid, vulnerable conditions. Adaptation of Ayurveda in the COVID-19 pandemic is the positive hope for the management of COVID-19.