Keeping the land clean around our homes requires removal of inorganic waste, planting of trees, leaving water and food for birds, and consciously ensuring that the space breathes clean air regularly. Fumigation around the home precipitates the particles of germs that hover. The awareness of time is developed by regular meditation, yoga and appreciation of quiet and calm.

“During pandemics, people who are not mentally resilient require extra assistance, breaking down with low thresholds for trauma and showing poor stress management,” Bhattacharya told IANS.

Ayurveda also offers guidelines for food during epidemics, stressing that we should keep our guts clean. We should eat simple foods, healthy foods, and foods that do not disrespect the environment. According to her, gradually shifting toward eating vegetables, whole grains and pulses, and using less ingredients is advised. Adding raisins (draksha), coriander (dhanya) leaves, prunes, spinaches (saag), palak and dark green leafy vegetables to the diet helps the bowel push contents down and out. To prevent illness, Ayurveda says to keep gut clean using foods. “If you need extra help, try taking 1 tsp of triphala with hot water at night. If you need more help, contact an ayurvedic physician. You can take 1 tsp of dashmul powder with 1 tsp of psyllium husk with hot water at night. The main goal is to have large bowel movements daily and get the gut clean,” she advised. To keep the prana-vaha-srotas (ENT+respiratory system) clean, make a bitter kada/kara/kwatha.

Decoctions at sunrise and sunset are a ritual for cleaning the nasal passages by stimulating the bitter taste buds, which turns on the airway’s immune machinery.