The recently held WHO initiated conference on HIV/AIDS prevention in New Delhi has articulated that Ayurveda can help preventing AIDS by strengthening the body's resistance system through herbs and a supplementary code of conduct.

"Apart from 'Achaar Rasayan' (code of conduct), the ancient system of Indian medicine provides for a whole range of herbs for the prevention of AIDS through strengthening the immune system," Naveen Gupta, president of Ashtvaidyan Ayurveda, an NGO of Ayurvedics, said in the conference, 'Towards a world without AIDS' in the capital.

Some of the herbs found useful in the prevention process included amla (Emblica Officinalis), bala (Sida Cordifolia), haritaki (Terminalia Chabula), nirgundi (Vitex Nirgundo) and amrita (Tinospora Wedifolia), Gupta said.

"The Ayurveda lifestyle prohibits organised commercial sex or even casual sex with unknown partners. Moreover, the basics of Ayurveda lies in strengthening the body's defensive system and self-repair mechanism to enable the individual to resist the disease," he said.

He added that the goal of Ayurveda was to preserve health, prevent disease and promote longevity of life with the help of prescribed regimen of diet and lifestyle including sex behaviour pattern.