Addressing COVID-19 in the Arctic: Lessons Learned from Indigenous Communities in Alaska

#### Authors

Michele Devlin, Andrey Petrov, Mark Welford, Tatiana Degai, John DeGroote, Stanislav Ksenofontov, Nikolay Golosov, and Nino Mateshvili

University of Northern Iowa ARCTICenter, Cedar Falls, United States

## **Successfully Controlling COVID-19 and Herpes Zoster with Ayurvedic Medicine**

**Subhas Chandra Dutta and Subhyendu Maity**

J.B Roy State Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, Kolkata, India

Ayurvedic practitioners all over India are successfully treating viral diseases with clinical and laboratory evidence. Though herpes and hepatitis B are double-stranded DNA viruses, hepatitis C and COVID-19 are both single-stranded RNA viruses. As we can minimize the viral load of hepatitis C with Ayurvedic medicines, the viral load of COVID-19 may also be minimized. A total of 24 cases of herpes zoster, diagnosed clinically, have been collected from the Outdoor Dept of our Institute, and 8 cases of COVID-19 have been collected from private clinics, diagnosed by RT-PCR test. Herpes zoster cases have been treated with generic Ayurvedic medicines, Laxmivilas, Vatagajankush, Dhatri louha, and application of honey for 5-10 days, and COVID-19 patients have been treated with Swas-kas-Chintamani, Mahalaxmivilas, Swasari louha, and Dasamularista for 14 days and more. All patients of herpes Zoster felt subsiding pain, burning sensation, and further aggravation, and lesions dried up within 10 days. Among COVID-19 patients, two patients discontinued the treatment regime and left for allopathic medicine, whereas six patients continued ayurvedic medicines, and features like violent dry cough, loss of smell sensation, fever, low oxygen saturation, severe weakness, etc., subsided earlier in comparison to COVID-19-positive relatives of those patients, taking allopathic medicines. All six patients were RTPCR negative after 14 days and rehabilitated to normal life earlier. Ayurvedic medicines are remarkably effective and cost-effective (1/50th expenditure in comparison to allopathic medicines) against viral infections in immuno-compromised patients with little/no complications. It is important to trust in the potency of Ayurveda and explore it to achieve Planetary Health or One Health approaches into healthcare systems cost-effectively at the earliest.

#### Keywords

Ayurveda (traditional medicines of India): Laxmivilas, Sutasekhar, Dhatri louha, Swasari louha, Swas-kas-chintamani, etc.; generic ayurvedic medicines; Hepatitis-C; COVID-19; Herpes Zoster

#### Introduction

• Ayurvedic practitioners all over India are successfully treating viral diseases with clinical and laboratory evidence. Herpes and Hepatitis B are doublestranded DNA viruses, but Hepatitis C and COVID-19 are both single-stranded RNA viruses. As we can minimise the viral load of Hepatitis C using Ayurvedic medicines, the viral load of COVID-19 may also be minimised by the same method.

#### Methodology

• A total of 24 cases of Herpes Zoster, diagnosed clinically, were collected from the Outdoor Dept of our Institute, and eight cases of COVID-19 were collected from private clinics, diagnosed using RTPCR tests. Herpes Zoster cases were treated with generic Ayurvedic Medicines, Laxmivilas, Vatagajankush, Dhatri louha and the application of honey for 5-10 days. COVID-19 patients were treated with Swas-kas-chintamani, Mahalaxmivilas, Swasari louha and Dasamularista for 14 days or more.

#### Results and Discussions

• All patients with Herpes Zoster experienced subsiding pain, a burning sensation and further aggravation and lesions, which dried up within 10 days.

Among COVID-19 patients, two patients discontinued the treatment regime and changed to allopathic medicine, whereas six patients continued with ayurvedic medicines and symptoms like a violent dry cough, loss of smell, fever, low oxygen saturation, severe weakness, etc., subsided earlier in comparison to the COVID-19 positive relatives of those patients, who were taking allopathic medicines. All six patients were RTPCR negetive after 14 days and rehabilated to normal life earlier. Ayurvedic medicines are remarkably effective and cost effective (1/50th expenditure in comparison to allopathic medicines) compared to viral infections in immuno- compromised patients with little/no complications.

#### Authors

Subhas Chandra Dutta and Subhyendu Maity

J.B Roy State Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, Kolkata, India

#### Conclusions

The potency of Ayurveda has been explained and it can be explored to achieve Planetary Health or One Health approaches in health care systems cost effectively.
