An 800-year-old textbook on Ayurveda has come in handy for the Gujarat government in treating Chikungunya patients as it mentions a fever similar to the mosquito-borne viral infection.

"There is an 800-year-old textbook on Ayurveda, which mentions a fever that is similar to Chikungunya and lists the medicines that could cure the disease. We used these medicines to treat patients in our state, who were afflicted with Chikungunya, and they recovered," said Gujarat Health Minister Ashok Bhatt.

He was in New Delhi to attend the meeting called by Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss of health ministers of 10 Chikungunya states.

Bhatt said he suggested the idea to the Union Health Minister that alternative medicines should be used to treat patients.

"The text, Bhavprakash, lists out Ayurveda and Homeopathic medicine to treat 'Sandhig Sannipathik Jwar,' which has similar symptoms of Chikungunya," he said.

Bhatt said the Centre had accepted their demand for apex referral institute in B J Medical College in Ahmedabad for advance diagnosis of virology. He also said that the state civic authorities were using herbal fogging.