Effective TCM Medicine against COVID-19

In the campaign against COVID-19, the traditional Chinese medicine has up to now contributed a lot to successfully put some cases under control. According to a report by the newspaper China Daily, the following recipes are proved to be effective to a certain extent.

 

Jinhua Qinggan Granule（金花清感颗粒）

Jinhua Qinggan Granule was developed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. It consists of 12 herbal components including honeysuckle, mint and licorice, and can clear heat and detoxify lungs.

It has a curative effect in treating mild and moderate patients and can also improve the recovery rate of lymphocyte and white blood cells as well as reduce the rate of patients turning more severe.

In early February, 102 mild patients in Wuhan took Jinhua Qinggan Granule in their treatment. Except for 11.8% of them who didn’t get better, it took only one and a half days for the rest of the patients to reduce fever.

A comparative experiment showed that patients who took Jinhua Qinggan Granule tested negative for coronavirus two and a half days earlier than a group that did not take the granule. The group treated with the granule also took eight days to show improvement, while the other group took 10.3 days.

 

Lianhua Qingwen Capsule/Granule（莲花清瘟胶囊/颗粒）

 Lianhua Qingwen medicine is a very common traditional Chinese medicine used for treating cold and flu. Composed of 13 herbals, it has shown curative effects on mild and common patients, especially in relieving fever, cough and fatigue. It can reduce the occurrence of deterioration and help patients to turn negative with the test.

 

Xuebijing Injection（血必净注射液）

This injection was developed and marketed during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. It consists of five herbal extracts and its main function is to detoxify and remove blood stasis. It is usually used to treat sepsis.

It is effective in suppressing systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by infection in the treatment of severe and critically ill patients as well as repairing impaired organ function.

Initial clinical studies have shown that the injection, combined with the Western medicine, can increase the rate of hospital discharge and reduce the rate of deterioration. Basic research has also found out that it has a certain antiviral effect in vitro that can significantly inhibit inflammatory factors induced by novel coronavirus infection.

The novel coronavirus also tends to cause excessive clotting in the body that leads to organ embolism and damages tissues, and Xuebijing can help prevent excessive coagulation and the formation of thrombus.

A comparative experiment of 710 cases jointly conducted by over 30 hospitals showed that the injection combined with regular treatment can reduce the mortality rate of severe patients by 8.8 percent and shorten intensive care unit hospitalization by 4 days.

Another project saw Xuebijing Injection applied clinically to severe and critical patients from the end of January, with 156 patients in 32 hospitals treated. They all achieved very good improvements.

Research on the clinical safety of Xuebijing also showed that the adverse reaction rate was about 0.3 percent, which is a very safe figure, and it will not react adversely with other antibiotics or treatment.

 

Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction（清肺排毒汤）

The medicine of Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction is derived from several classic recipes in a traditional Chinese medicine work known in English as “Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases” written by Zhang Zhongjing sometime before 220 AD. It has 21 herbal components and is mainly effective in improving symptoms of fever, cough and fatigue as well as lung condition, as shown by CT scans, in severe patients.

Studies have proved the decoction can regulate multiple cell signaling pathways – cells communicating with each other by receiving and processing chemical signals in response to environmental changes – to inhibit virus replication and avoid or mitigate cytokine storms, which are an overreaction of cells that damages the immune system.

The decoction targets lungs and can also protect other organs. It can be used as a general recipe for treating mild, moderate, severe and critical patients.

Tong Xiaolin, chief researcher of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences as well as  an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that 1,261 novel coronavirus patients in 10 provinces took the decoction, with 1,102 recovering, symptoms no longer appearing in 29, a further 71 showing improvement and no cases deteriorating.

There were also 40 severe patients. After taking the medicine, 28 were discharged from hospital, 10 improved the condition with the symptoms changing from severe to mild.

 

Huashibaidu Formula（化湿败毒方）

Huashibaidu Formula is a core recipe developed by the national TCM team from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Composed of 14 herbal components, the formula is based on the recommendations of the early national diagnosis and treatment plan as well as the experiences from clinical practice at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital.

Its main efficacy is to detoxify, remove dampness and heat from the body and relieve cough to achieve an inner body balance. It can be used to treat light, moderate and severe patients.

The prescription has a comprehensive treatment effect in different stages of novel coronavirus pneumonia and can significantly shorten the length of hospital stay, improve clinical symptoms and lung condition as shown by CT scans and other examinations. Studies on guinea pigs found out that the formula can reduce lung viral load by 30 percent.

 

Xuanfeibaidu Granule（宣肺败毒颗粒）

Xuanfeibaidu Granule with 13 herbal components originates from several classic traditional recipes. Used for treating light and moderate patients, the granule can detoxify the lungs, and clear the dampness and heat. Research has shown that the medicine help shorten the time for clinical symptoms to vanish and lower the body temperature to normal.