Some 6,000 COVID-19 patients supposedly treated with Siddha medicine in Tamil Nadu

A typical day at the Siddha treatment centre involves salt water gargling, Yoga, pranayama and mudra practices, as well as counselling. The traditional Siddha system of medicine has come in more than handy in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Tamil Nadu with nearly 6,000 people being cured of the contagion in dedicated facilities across the state, official sources said on Monday. Siddha treatment has helped to successfully treat 5,725 patients at 11 exclusive Siddha COVID-19 Care Centres in Tamil Nadu, including two in the metro, till August 7, the sources added. Chennai’s Siddha CCC facilities at Jawahar Vidyalaya and Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College in Vyasarpadi, offering Siddha-based treatment for asymptomatic patients, handle high caseloads and they have treated nearly 3,200 patients as on August 7. “It is very difficult to isolate the role of Siddha in treating the COVID-19 patients in order to quantify the percentage contributing to Tamil Nadu’s recovery rate because Kabasura concoction is administered to patients, visitors and even medical professionals in all government CCCs in the state,” said a senior official at the directorate of Indian Medicine.