How Traditional Chinese Medicine Help Fight Coronavirus (Covid-19) ?
Wei Sheng Yu*
*Dr. Wei Sheng Yu MB BS MMedSc MD MBRCP MRCHM is a General Practitioner of Chinese Medicine and Consultant Physician of integrated Chinese medicine & Western medicine
The current Coronavirus (Covid-19) has now spread around the world, and been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Europe has became the worst-affected region, with Italy and Spain particularly hard hit. In the UK, the confirmed case numbers are climbing daily, particularly in London.
What is the Coronavirus (Covid-19)?
The Coronavirus are a large family of virus with some causing mild disease, such as the common cold and others causing more severe disease, such as Covid-19.
How does the Coronavirus transmit?
The source of the outbreak has yet to be determined. Preliminary investigations identified environment samples positive for Covid-19 in a market in WuHan city, however some laboratory confirmed patients did not report visiting this market, a recent study1 published in Nature suggests that the Covid-19 virus may have been circulating undetected in humans for years. Investigations are still ongoing.
The routes of transmission of Covid-19 are unknown, but large respiratory droplets and direct or indirect contact with infected secretions are likely.
What are the clinical features?
The main symptoms are high temperature, persistent cough and dyspnoea, CT chest appears bilateral lung infiltrates. Most patients have a mild symptom, some severe cases require intensive care. So far the data suggest that the risk of severe disease and death increases among elderly people of age over 70 and in people with underlying health risk conditions.
What is the treatment?
There is currently no specific treatment for Covid-19, conventional treatment aims to relieve the symptoms and providing support to patients with complications.
Can Traditional Chinese medicine help fight Covid-19?
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practised over 2,000 years in fighting human disease. A recent study2 suggests that Chinese herbal medicine could be an alternative approach for prevention of Covid-19 in high risk population. In China, TCM has played an active role in improving the recovery rate and lowering the mortality among patients.
The main principles of Chinese herbal medicine are to tonify QI to protect from external pathogens, disperse wind and discharge heat and resolve dampness. I now have developed the formula for general prevention against Covid-19, which is the combination of the following:
1) Yu Ping Feng San:
Fang Feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae)
Bai Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae)
Huang Qi (Radixastragali)
2) Shuang Huang Lian:
Jin Yin Hua (Lonicera Japonica)
Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae)
Lian Qiao (Forsythia Suspensa)
3) Yin Qiao San:
Jin Yin Hua (Lonicera Japonica)
Lian Qiao (Forsythia Suspensa)
Bo He (Mentha Arvensis)
Jin Jie (Schizonepeta Tenuifolia)
Dan Dou Chi (Glycine Max)
Niu Pang Zi (Arctium Lappa)
Jie Geng (Platycodon Grandiflorum)
Dan Zhu Ye (Lophatherum Gracile)
Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza Uralensis)
Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome)
The combination of the above three formulas has the effects of broad-spectrum anti-viral3,4, anti-bacterial5 and anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory and improve body immune system3.
You should take the combination of these three formulas with Ling Zhi (Ganoderma Lucidum) together, which can boost your immune function6, in order to activate the most effective immune system against the Coronavirus.
Preventative treatment is better than awaiting Covid-19 to developing. Recent reports indicate that many of us may have already infected with the Coronavirus, therefore while you are staying at home or self-isolating with mild symptoms following the Government guidance, I really advise that people should take Chinese herbal medicine for maximal prevention. In fact, most people in China are doing so.
I believe that Chinese herbal medicine will be playing a complimentary role to western drugs in fighting the potentially deadly viruses in the UK.
For further medical advice, please call: 0207 372 2184.
References
1. Andersen, K.G., Rambaut, A., Lipkin, W.I. Holmes EC, Garry RF. The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nat Med (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9
2. Luo H, Tang QL, Shang YX, Liang SB, Yang M, Robinson N, Liu JP. Can Chinese medicine be used for prevention of Corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)? A review of historical classics research evidence and current prevention programs. Clin J Integr Med 2020: Feb17. doi:10.1007/s 11655-020-3192-6
3. Wang YH, Xu KJ, Jiang WS. Experimental and clinical study of shuanghuanglian aerosol in treating acute respiratory tract infection. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi 1995 Jun;15(6): 347-50
4.Wang C, Cao B, Liu QQ, Zou ZQ, Liang ZA, Gu L, Dong JP, Liang LR, Li XW, Hu K, He XS, Sun YS, An Y, Yang T, Cao ZX, Guo YM, Wen XM, Wang YG, Liu YL, Jiang LD. Oseltamivir compared with the Chinese traditional therapy maxingshigan-Yinqiaosan in the treatment of H1N1 influenza: A randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:217–25
5. Du CYQ, Choi RCY, Zhang KYZ, Dong TTX, Lau DTW, Tsim KWK. Yu . PloS One. 2013; 8(11): e78622
6.Lin ZB. Cellular and Molecular Mechanism of Immune-modulation by Ganoderma lucidum. J Pharmacol Sci. 2005 Oct;99(2):144-53