In 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Patanjali had launched Coronil – a herbal tablet – which it claimed could “treat and cure” the coronavirus.
Marketing had to be stopped after an intervention by the Indian government, which said there was no data to show it worked as a treatment. However, the company continued to insist that it worked against the virus.
It’s not just their drugs – Patanjali’s edible goods have also been criticised for being sub-standard.
In 2022, Patanjali’s “pure cow ghee” (clarified butter) failed a food safety test, but Baba Ramdev dismissed the findings by saying that the samples had been tampered with.
In 2023, the brand was sent a legal notice for allegedly using cuttlefish in a dental product marked as vegetarian.
Source: Baba Ramdev: The yoga guru under fire over Patanjali’s ‘natural cures’