Title:Traditional Chinese Medicine as the Preventive and Therapeutic
Remedy for COVID-19
Volume: 31
Issue: 21
Author(s): Amin Gasmi, Torsak Tippairote, Pavan Kumar Mujawdiya, Alain Menzel, Roman Lysiuk, Mariia Shanaida, Larysa Lenchyk, Massimiliano Peana and Geir Bjørklund*
Affiliation:
- Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Mo i Rana, Norway
Keywords:
Traditional Chinese medicine, COVID-19, coronavirus, pneumonia, herbal remedy, herbal formulation, natural compounds.
Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic still has tremendous impacts
on the global socio-economy and quality of living. The traditional Chinese
Medicines (TCM) approach showed encouraging results during previous outbreaks of Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). With limited treatment availability,
TCM herbs and formulations could be useful to reduce COVID-19 symptoms and potential
sources for discovering novel therapeutic targets. We reviewed 12 TCM herbs and
formulations recommended for COVID-19 management by the National Health Commission
and as National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic
of China. This article explored the Chinese national authorities' guidelines from
2003 to 2020, the scientific data in public databases for the recommended TCM remedies,
and their potential mechanistic actions in COVID-19 management. Several TCM
herbs and formulations could potentially benefit COVID-19 management. The recommended
TCM oral preparations list includes Huoxiang zhengqi, Jinhua Qinggan, Lianhua
Qingwen, and Shufeng jiedu; the recommended injection preparations comprise
Xiyanping Xuebijing, Re-Du-Ning, Tanreqing, Xingnaojing, Shenfu, Shengmai, and Shenmai.
TCM remedies are viable options for symptom alleviation and management of
COVID-19. The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic presents an opportunity to find novel
therapeutic targets from TCM-active ingredients. Despite the recommendations in Chinese
National guidelines, these remedies warrant further assessments in well-designed
clinical trials to ascertain their efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19.