Chyavanprash: A Multimodal Approach to COVID-19 Management

Abstract

The word Chyavanprash (CP) comprises of ‘Chyawan’ and ‘Prasha’. Chyavan represents ‘degenerative change’ and Prasha symbolises a drug. Enhancement of immunity and longevity of life were the main reasons for which CP was consumed since ancient times. CP has about 50 herbs, spices and minerals along with a range of pharmacological activities on almost all organ systems of the human body.
 COVID-19 actually means coronavirus disease 2019. COVID-19 targets and affects multiple organs like lungs, heart, kidney etc, thus increasing the mortality and morbidity rates. The medication cost and side effects have made the allopathic system of medicine the least sought after. The rapid spread rate of the infection has urged mankind to look at alternative remedies to fight the novel coronavirus.
 AYUSH is a government organisation under the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy which aims to promote indigenous alternative medicine systems in India. AYUSH recommends various measures to fight the novel coronavirus infection.
 Chyavanprash is one such important formulation proposed by the AYUSH for COVID-19. The purpose of our review is to highlight the constituents and pharmacological activities of CP in the prophylaxis, manage and treatment of COVID-19 by collecting and compiling the published research on COVID-19. The review also focuses on understanding the mechanism behind the multimodal activity of CP. References relevant to our topic were screened based on relevance to our topic.

Efficacy and safety of the Ayurvedic herbal preparation Maharishi Amrit Kalash: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

“…A recent scoping review concluded that preclinical studies show promising results for the use of MAK as an anticancer and chemoprotective agent ( 25 ). Furthermore, the results of Zanella et al ( 19 ), who placed healthy individuals on a diet with or without MAK, showed that a MAK-enriched diet decreased oxidative stress parameters and increased antioxidant defenses in both short- and long-term treatments ( 12 ). Research into the phytochemical aspects of the plants that form the basis for the production of MAK has also shown promising prospects for the treatment of oxidative stress and cancer ( 45 ).…”

“…The MAK preparation is complex, with a range of pharmacological activities on various organ systems. In terms of its preparation, it is comparable to the classic Ayurvedic formulation Chyavanprash with regard to numerous ingredients (e.g., Emblica officinalis ) for which mechanisms have been discussed ( 11 , 12 ). Studies have shown that Chyavanprash has immunostimulatory effects, enhancing the secretion of cytokines and stimulating macrophage and natural killer cell activity ( 13 ).…”