The Ayurvedic Scam | detailed overview on Patanjali’s Coronil by Ramdev and Balkrishna
Looking into the scam and its course behind the pseudo-medicine Coronil being sold by Patanjali Ayurved as a cure for Covid 19 in India….
Introduction to Ayurveda
The dictionary defines Ayurveda as the traditional hindu system of medicine [incorporated in Atharva Veda, the last of the four vedas], which is based on the idea of balance in bodily systems and used diet, herbal and yogic treatment….
The term Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit terms ‘ayus’ meaning life and ‘veda’ meaning sacred knowledge. It is an alternative system of medicine that originated in India 3000–5000 years ago. It’s one of the oldest known holistic or whole-body healing systems. It’s based on the belief that health and wellness depend on the delicate balance between the mind, body and spirit….
And to some extent, that’s true. When you are physically sick, you generally don’t feel happy. And when the mind is torn from depression or anxiety, the physical body also shares the toll. This is also something stoic Greek philosopher Cleanthes believed in….
The biggest USP of Ayurveda over modern medicine is the claim that it has no side effects. This makes Ayurveda a better choice for chronic diseases which lack modern medical cures. But this is also something that can be and is exploited by conmen. If your ‘medicine’ doesn’t have measurable side effects, you can sell anything under the tag of ‘medicine’ without fearing regulatory actions against you.
Introduction to Ramdev
Ramdev or Ram Kisan Yadav was born in a hindu family in 1965 in Mahendragarh, Haryana. He fled home at an early age and was accepted into Aarsh Gurukul Khanpur by Guru Pradyuma. This is where he met his life long associate Balkrishna. He took sanyasi diksha at around the age of 25 and adopted the name Swami Ramdev from Swami Shankar Dev….
In 2003, Aastha TV began featuring him in its morning slot where he proved to be very telegenic. That’s where he started gaining massive popularity. He founded Patanjali Ayurved in 2006 with Balakrishna. Patanjali Ayurved is estimated to make over 70 million US dollars worth of monthly sales. Ramdev is still the face of the company and makes most of the business decision. The company has faced several legal actions and bans for misleading advertisements, poor quality of products, insufficient testing and unethical working conditions….
In 2012, he called homosexuality a bad addiction and that he can cure it by yoga. In April 2020, Ruchi Soya Industries, which was acquired by Patanjali Ayurved in 2019 was revealed to be among the top 50 wilful loan defaulters of India with a loan of Rs 2,212 crores written off by RBI….
Introduction to Balkrishna
Balkrishna was born on 4th August 1972 in Haridwar, Uttarakhand to a Nepalese immigrant family. He founded Divya Yoga Mandir Trust with Ramdev in Haridwar in 1995. He founded Patanjali with Ramdev in 2006. Followers of Ramdev helped kick-start the business….
In 2012, the company posted a turnover of $ 63 million which rose to $ 700 million by 2015–2016. Patanjali’s revenue was at around Rs 8,522.68 crores in FY19. Balkrishna owns 99.6% of Patanjali and serves as its Managing Director….
As of October 2020, he has a net worth of $ 2.2 billion. Balkrishna is listed in India’s 50 most influential personalities in 2020 and India’s youngest billionaire by Forbes India Rich List 2020….
History of controversies
Divya Putrajeevak Seed
A product of Patanjali called “Putrajeevak Beej” was being sold in stores as a medicine that guarantees the birth of a son child. This boosted its sales and the company took no action to correct the miscommunication. The issue was raised in parliament in 2015. In 2016, the Uttarakhand department declared the drug in violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994….
Ban Ganga River pollution
In January 2018, villagers in Haridwar raised concerns about Padarth, a Patanjali factory polluting Ban Ganga rivulet and other local water bodies by releasing untreated effluents. The local government took no action due to Ramdev’s influence. Uttarakhand Environmental Conservation and Pollution Control board finally directed a cleanup. Patanjali denied claims….
Suspension of Amla Juice
Patanjali’s Amla Juice was found unfit for consumption when tested at the Central Food Lab. Following this, the Ministry of Defence’s canteen stores department [CSD] suspended the sale of Patanjali Amla Juice and instructed all its depots to return existing stock….
Patanjali Instant Noodles
Patanjali launched instant noodle on 15th November 2015. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India slapped a notice on the company for selling it before getting any approval for manufacturing instant noodles….
The Scam — Coronil
On June 23 2020, Patanjali Ayurved announced the launch of Coronil as a medical cure for Covid-19. They claimed to have cured Covid-19 patients with 100% efficacy. This lead to a huge backlash with people questioning the role of the Ayush Ministry. Ministry of Ayush issued a statement that they didn’t approve the drug and instructed Patanjali to stop advertising or selling it.
YS Rawat, license officer of Uttarakhand Ayush Department stated that the approval application didn’t mention Covid-19 on June 30. The Government of Maharastra banned Coronil in the state while FIRs were filed against Ramdev, Balkrishna and associates in Bihar and Rajasthan. Patanjali responded by withdrawing the claim of Coronil being a cure while claiming they didn’t violate any protocol….
The Madras High Court also barred Patanjali from using the term ‘Coronil’ due to trademark violations. Justice C. V. Karthikeyan imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakhs on the company….
C. V. Karthikeyan observed that Patanjali has been “chasing further profits by exploiting the fear and panic among the general public by projecting a cure for the coronavirus when actually their ‘Coronil Tablet’ is not one.”
Patanjali made minor alterations to the claims and packaging and kept selling the pseudo-medicine as an immunity booster pack for the next 7 months….
Again in February 2021, a press conference attended by union health minister Harsh Vardhan and transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Ramdev and Balkrishna announced that studies show Coronil was effective against Covid-19 and that it has received approval from Minister of Ayush and WHO. Following these claims, the Indian Medical Association released a statement against Patanjali while WHO took to Twitter to clarify that they didn’t certify andy traditional medicine as a treatment for Covid-19….
Following this Balkrishna, CEO of Patanjali admitted on Twitter that the certification was granted by the Drugs Controller General of India only for the purpose of exports not as a certification of efficacy. But the duo has kept making false claims in every media interview.
According to Advertisement Standards Authority, claims to prevent, treat or alleviate the symptoms of the Coronavirus cannot be made without a product being licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The MHRA, which has not approved Coronil for any use said, “Appropriate action will be taken where any unauthorised medicinal product is offered or sold on the UK market.”
Watch the full documentary: https://youtu.be/HBHzXErxuF8