Can ayurveda ward off swine flu?

At the Mahipalpur, South Delhi outlet of Baba Ramdev’s ayurvedic pharmacy, the stocks of Shwasari Kwath ran out days ago. Not just this dispensary, every Ramdev outlet has been awaiting supplies from the baba’s Hardwar HQ.

The kwath is a concoction with ingredients like liquorice, tulsi, giloya, chiraita, elaichi that the popular baba says will strengthen the respiratory system.

“When babaji was in Delhi last, he had declared that people should consume giloya, tulsi and kwath to prevent swine flu. The message flew across mobile phones through SMSes and over the internet. Over the next few days we had huge demand for these products,” says Dr Shiv Pratap Verma, consulting vaidya at the pharmacy.

Apart from the kwath, which is sweet, the hottest sellers are tulsi and giloya pills. Giloya, or guduchi, is known for its immune-building properties. Tulsi of course is a household remedy for flu.

The allopathic system has yet to come up with answers to protection against the virus. With the pandemic expected to worsen in the winter, people are turning to medicinal plants that ayurveda recommends. Chiraita for instance is used by many in winters to ward off fevers. Provided the source of the herbal substances is reliable, these are by and large without nasty side-effects.

AYUSH, the government department for indigenous medicinal systems, woke up to the potential of ayurveda much after private practitioners. It issued alternative health tips just a week ago. These include a tulsi-ginger-pepper-guduchi decoction, and staying off “cold” foods that spike the kapha element.

“If we look at the mode of transfer of the condition from pigs to men and from men to other men, we can classify this disease as samsargika roga,” says the renowned Pune-based vaidya, Vilas Nanal, whose suggestion to create a coordinated ayurvedic plan to deal with the swine flu threat has yet to elicit any response from AYUSH.

Nanal suggests that as a preventive measure, nasya (medication though the nostrils) can help prevent aerial transmission of pathogens and reduce congestion. “The simple method is to apply oils available at ayurveda shops, like vacha taila or anu taila, to the nostrils. This oil is a non-irritant and retains moisture in the nose and keeps off the suspended particulate matter which is responsible for allergic sneezing, cold and congestion,” says Nanal.

(DNA has not tested the efficacy of any of the ayurvedic recommendations from experts mentioned in this article. Please consult your doctor before trying any of them.)