BEIJING: Lung cleansing and detoxifying preparation, though difficult to understand even for Chinese, is becoming a familiar name to many foreign physicians treating COVID-19 infections.
The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation, discovered and then widely used during China’s epidemic outbreak, has been used in various countries including Italy, Britain, the United States, Japan and Malaysia, with positive results, said Wang Wei, deputy head of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Zhang Boli, president of the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said Lianhua Qingwen capsules and granules, another recommended TCM for the treatment of COVID-19, has received marketing approval in more than 10 countries and regions and has been donated to several other countries. “We are working with the University of Southern California on phase-two clinical trials of lung diffusing and detoxifying preparation,” Zhang said. “They are paying close attention to the medicine and the experiment results we have achieved.”
People overseas have taken an interest in more than just these medications. Various treatment schemes combining TCM with Western medicine have also gained traction.
Zhang has joined dozens of video sessions this year to share his clinical experience in treating COVID-19 patients with medics in other countries.
At a video conference held by the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), Kuo Tong Ho, vice president of the Singapore Chinese Physicians’ Association, said the Singaporean government on May 5 permitted the use of Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion in treating COVID-19 patients. Kuo said the TCM prevention and treatment model had been effective in Singapore and welcomed Chinese experts to visit his country to offer guidance. –Agencies
