Giloy is among the several alternative medicines recommended by the Ayush Ministry as an immune booster against the COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2.
The central government's Ministry of Ayush on Wednesday refuted the claims that the use of herb TinosporaCordifolia (TC), commonly known as Giloy or Guduchi, resulted in liver failure in six patients in Mumbai. In a press statement, the Ministry of Ayush said linking Giloy to liver damage would be misleading as the herb has been used in Ayurveda for a long time.
Giloy is among the several alternative medicines recommended by the Ayush Ministry as an immune booster against the COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2.
"The authors of the study failed in placing all needful details of the cases in a systematic format. Apart from this, relating Giloy to liver damage would be misleading and disastrous to the Traditional Medicine system of India as the herb Guduchi or Giloy has been used in Ayurveda since long. The efficacy of Giloy in managing various disorders is well established," the ministry said.
Origin of controversy
Mumbai doctors found at least six patients with severe liver damage between September and December 2020 had taken certain herbs and traditional medicines to ward off COVID-19.
These patients came with complaints of jaundice and lethargy, after which the doctors found each had a history of taking a concoction of giloy or ‘guduchi’.
A 62-year-old woman died four months after she was rushed to hospital with fluid accumulation in her abdomen, a sign of liver failure.
A study was published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology, an international peer-reviewed journal published by the Indian National Association for the Study of the Liver.
It said herbal immune booster-induced liver injury during COVID-19 "may arise from direct and indirect mechanisms through the metabolites of the herb or their interactions with other drugs, including contaminants".
The researchers said they documented the experience of six patients with herbal-induced liver injury from September 2020 to December 2020.
Ayush Ministry statement
The Ayush Ministry pointed out that the authors of the study did not analyse the contents of the herb that was consumed by the patients.
The ministry pointed that identifying the herb incorrectly could lead to wrong results. A similar-looking herb, Tinosporo Crispa, might have a negative effect on the liver.
The study has many flaws. It is unclear what dose the patients had taken or whether they took this herb with other medicines.
The study has not taken into account the past or present medical records of the patients.
Publications based on incomplete information will open the door for misinformation and defame the age-old practices of Ayurveda.
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