BEIJING--Jan. 12, 2023--PRNewswire/InfoQuest
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been playing an important role in China's fight
against COVID-19.
As China is shifting the focus of its COVID-19 response from preventing infections to
protecting people's health and preventing severe cases, the unique strength of TCM is
further leveraged by health authorities to protect the life and health of the people.
On January 5, China issued the 10th version of diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-
19, which fully reflects the valuable experience of using TCM in the treatment of severe and
critical cases. The new protocol introduces targeted TCM treatments for severe cases, and
puts forward relatively complete therapeutic TCM solutions for children.
The country has also developed a unique plan to treat COVID-19 epidemic by combining the
use of both TCM and Western medicine for severe and critical patients.
Currently, the importance of TCM in the battle against coronavirus is mainly reflected in
three aspects.
"First, intervention can be stratified for patients," Huang Luqi, deputy head of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said on January 4 at a press conference.
"Patients can choose proper TCM for home treatment to reduce the overloading risk and
pressure on medical institutions and resources."
Second, patients with mild and ordinary symptoms can depend on TCM as the leading
treatment, Huang noted.
Third, TCM plays a part in recovery. After nucleic acid turns negative, many patients still
undergo cough, fatigue, sweating and other symptoms.
"TCM can treat those symptoms and exert its function in overall regulation of the body as a
whole," Huang said.
China has been putting more and more effort to help patients in rural areas with TCM.
In Daming County, Handan City of north China's Hebei Province, doctors are going to rural
sites, providing free consultations and diagnosis to elderly villagers, and distributing free
medicines, most of which are TCM and mixtures.
"I’ve got medicine here twice, and after taking the medicine, my family members are feeling
better," said resident Wang Aijiao.
"Our hospital and the fellow hospitals are sending doctors to villages twice a week," said Yang Chenjuan, a doctor from the Daming Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
"We also provide them with free Chinese herbal medicines, herbs for foot baths and TCM
fumigations, as well as offer more health advice," Yang said.
TCM companies across the country are using advanced manufacturing processes to ensure
adequate output of medicines, and refining and improving TCM theories and practices to
contain diseases.
The production lines of pharmaceuticals company Zhendong Group are running 24 hours a
day to make the medicine products for prevention of COVID-19.
"We have invested more in production of proprietary Chinese medicines with modern
concepts, from the cultivation and storage of Chinese herbs to product development. This is
an opportunity for us to give back to society," said Li Anping, president of of the company.
TCM therapy still offers effective treatment against new COVID-19 variants.
"Current variants are all causing upper respiratory infections," said Liu Qingquan, president of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, at a press conference on Monday, adding that the new variants spreading in other countries such as BQ.1 or XBB are not
fundamentally different from the BA.5.2 and BF.7 which have been predominantly circulating
in China. "Our TCM therapy still works," Liu said.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-01-11/TCM-continues-to-play-significant-role-in-treating-
COVID-19-1gvsGymjqU0/index.html
