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Arsenicum Album-30 has been distributed to half of the state’s population as preventive medicine for COVID-19.

Gujarat’s health department has made a presentation before WHO on August 20 on Gujarat’s COVID-19 prevention strategy where it mentioned that a homeopathic drug Arsenicum Album-30 has been given to half of the state’s population since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Gujarat’s state population is about 6.6 crore and the preventive medicine was distributed to approximately 3.8 crore people.

However, there is no scientific evidence that this homeopathic drug can prevent COVID-19 and even the homeopathy practitioners agree to it.

The Gujarat state government also claimed that 99.6 percent of people who took AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) remedies as prevention from the deadly virus have tested negative for the virus.

In its presentation which was also presented to the media, the health department of Gujarat said that AYUSH remedies have been proven to be immunity boosters and the treatment protocol has been prepared after extensive research.

It said that as many as 33,268 people have been benefited from AYUSH medicines in the quarantine period, half of whom availed the homeopathic medicines.

Moreover, these homeopathic medicines are boasted by the state government to be 99.6 percent effective.

An official from the health department said that a clinical trial related to the prophylaxis of this homeopathic medicine has not yielded any conclusive result yet.

Gujarat Principal Health Secretary, Jayanthi Ravi said that they have a reason to believe the efficacy of this medicine as those 0.3 percent people who took the medicines and tested positive for coronavirus too have only had mild symptoms.

He mentioned that though there is the belief in this medicine there needs to be proper analysis to prove it.

The result of a clinical trial on Aresenium Album-30 is being carried out at a private facility in Bhavnagar as prophylaxis has not shown any clear result yet.

The health department claims that the medicine has been distributed to people upon recommendations from the expert committee including homeopathic doctors and a repeat order has also been given by the state government for people who have consumed it more than a month ago.

Health camps were organized with the help of NGOs to distribute this medicine across the state.

Ahmedabad based homeopathic doctor and a member of the national executive committee, Shivang Swaminarayan said that AYUSH ministry has recommended the use of this medicine as an immunity booster after finding its beneficial results among people.

However, it is always better to consult a homeopathic doctor before consuming the medicine.

By Gayatri Yellayi