COVID-19: Ayurveda formulations to be tested by CCMB for checking anti-viral efficacy

Ayurveda formulations would be tested on lab-grown strains of coronavirus by the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here to ascertain their anti-viral efficacy in the fight against the pathogen, under a pact with Kerala-based Arya Vaidya Sala (AVS).

Standardised Ayurveda formulations provided by AVS in Kottakkal would be tested on the lab-grown coronavirus in the cell culture system, the premier research institute here said on Friday.

"If it yields tangible results, the project will lead to a major progress in pharmaceutical industry in India," CCMB Director Rakesh Mishra said.

While the country possessed a lot of ancient wisdom, it has lacked defined regulatory protocols for testing the efficacy of formulations that were based on classical texts, he said.

In the ongoing fight against the coronavirus, it has become imperative to rigorously test the different treatment possibilities before they were used by the public, he said.

"At CCMB, we have established an efficacy testing facility for drugs and devices by using the lab-grown coronavirus.This can be used for testing the antiviral efficacy of Ayurvedic formulations too," Mishra said.

The AVS was joining hands with CCMB with the clear objective of attempting to validate classical knowledge of Ayurveda with the aid of modern science, AVS Senior Scientist C T Sulaiman said.

"We are hopeful that findings of this study will yield useful therapeutic support in the current situation. The chemical evaluation of the selected formulations showed presence of potent molecules, and they will be investigated further," he said.

AVS is a 118-years old charitable institution engaged in the practice and propagation of Ayurveda. It manufactured more than 500 formulations, the release said.

The CCMB, a premier life science research institute, has been testing, sequencing and growing coronavirus strains in its labs for various study purposes. 

(IMAGE CREDITS:PTI)