Baba's Miracle!

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I am sorry that I am still not in a position to record my voice. So, you have to read these posts on my blog. I hope to get back soon with my regular series on Mind that I paused a month ago.

The havoc created by Corona unnerves even a seasoned Yogi. So many deaths not just in underdeveloped countries but even in those countries supposedly advanced and on the cutting edge of innovation. 

Our scientists are struggling to come up with either a cure or a vaccine for this dreaded virus that has already upset our lives and appears to ruin it altogether. But no hope at sight.

All of a sudden, here comes an Indian Yoga Guru who claims that he has a cure for this dreaded disease! Before you dismiss this as yet another ‘Indian rope trick’, please read on. Maybe you will find some food for thought.

This Yoga Guru is Swami Ramdev well known for his ‘cure all’ breathing exercise namely Kapalabhati. I have been very critical about his tall unfounded claims. You can see some of my criticisms in my book “Hatayoga Myths shattered”. But this time the Baba seems to have done something better.

By the way, ‘Baba’ is a respectful word used in India for Gurus like Ramdev. So, he is often referred to as Baba Ramdev.

His latest claim was that he has a medicine for Corona that can cure a Corona positive person in a matter of 7 days. It is not yet another breathing circus, but a medicine which he claims that has passed double blind placebo-controlled study. You can see the announcement he made recently in the following video.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=596299054414090

Let me summarize his claims.

1. Baba’s medicine is a herbal concoction to be taken orally for a few days – maximum 7 days.
2. The study was done on 100 Corona positive patients in a private University in India.
3. It was a double blind, placebo-controlled study in which half the patients were given Baba’s medicine and the other half was given placebo or pseudo medicine.
4. Baba claims that in a matter of 3 days, 69% of the patients in the active group (the group to which the medicine was given) became Corona negative.
5. In seven days, 100% of the patients in the active group became Corona negative, while only 65% of the patients in the placebo group turned Corona negative.
6. The inference was – Baba’s medicine can 100 % cure Corona patients in a matter of at most 7 days.
7. Baba’s medicine costs just Rs. 545 (less than 7 US Dollars)!
8. The medicine has no side effects and can even act as a prophylactic – to prevent Corona infection in non-infected persons.

Hard to believe isn’t it? When so many bigwigs all over the world are struggling to come up with either a cure or vaccine for the dreaded virus, here is an almost illiterate (I mean in conventional terms) Swami who makes it sound so simple!

Probably the Baba never expected it, but there was furor all over India with media wars for and against the finds of Baba. This Baba had made many such claims in the past and naturally this time many people looked at him with suspicion. Some of the criticisms were

1. Baba did not take necessary approvals from concerned departments before undertaking such a study.
2. The study details were yet to be made public, even though Baba claims that he has submitted scientific research papers to well known journals for peer review.
3. This could be yet another money-making venture by the Baba who rose from rags to riches in a matter of a decade. Today he has a multi billion dollar empire of production houses, universities, hospitals, in addition to millions of followers all over the world.
4. The study was conducted on either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic Corona positive patients and there is no guarantee that the results would extend to more severely infected patients.
5. The ingredients of his medicine are well known and widely available all over India and are known to be immunity boosters. The Baba does not really have any new contribution.

Well, before I give my opinion on these criticisms let us see what the ingredients of this medicine are. There are just 3 ingredients that were actually used, even though Baba makes it vague by claiming that 100s of herbs were used. What are these 3 ingredients?

1. Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia ) extract
2. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract
3. Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) extract

All these three herbs grow naturally all over India, more so Tulsi, which can be found in front of most Indian houses.

Giloy is claimed to have several beneficial medicinal properties and it is generally believed to be a health enhancer. Ashwagandha too is supposed to have anti-viral properties and Baba claims that they have a research paper  which talks about simulation studies done to show that Ashwagandha can block the entry of the virus into human cells. Tulsi is a well-known antibacterial and antiviral herb highly prized in traditional Indian medicines.

After Baba made the announcement, there were lot of criticisms. The concerned nodal department in India (AYUSH) advised Baba not to publicize about the medicine or make it available to public use, before all the facts are verified.

The opposition ruled states in India have banned the drug in their states, not really because they have problems with Baba’s ways but really because Baba is seen to be a supporter of Narendra Modi Government at the center!


I have always been critical about Baba’s claims and some of the ideas he spreads in the name of Yoga. But this time I would like to soften my stand.

For one thing, Baba has accepted scientific ways rather than make baseless claims. That is a welcome change. If the double-blind study he is supposed to have done is genuine, then the Baba’s idea deserves consideration.

Since most of the Corona positive patients are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and also since the chances of Corona infection subsiding on its own can not be ruled out, I feel Baba’s find is worth taking seriously, even if one argues that the medicine will not work for serious cases of infection.

As most experts agree, not all Corona infected persons need emergency care. Most of them get cured with minimal or no intervention at all. It is the small fraction of severe cases that need intensive care.

In most of the countries – that includes developed countries – such intensive care facilities are limited. It is better to reserve them for such extreme cases. So that their lives can be saved and they will not die due to lack of such facilities. The rest of the people – who are the majority – can be advised to stay at home, probably isolated from other family members, administered medicines like Baba’s , at home till they recover completely.

Before doing that, we need to do further study on the Baba’s medicine on a larger scale ( probably backed by Government and other impartial parties). That may be a good approach rather than attack Baba for all the lacuna in his approach. The need of the hour is to come out of this Corona nightmare.

Think about it.