China’s best-known infectious diseases expert Zhong Nanshan has dispelled the myth that Traditional Chinese Medicine can prevent Covid-19 in the wake of public speculation that a popular online health platform had been suspended for challenging its use to fight the virus.
“As of now, there’s no drug that’s been proven to prevent Covid-19,” he told the 18th International Congress on Luobing Theory in Guangzhou, according to the Yangcheng Evening News.
Zhong, who led the country’s fight against Covid-19 and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), has long promoted the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine and called for more research and development, as well as greater integration with modern medicine.
He said whether it is modern medicine or TCM, it always comes down to proving that the drugs, technology and methodology are effective and safe.
“It’s important that we summarise thousands of years of TCM experience, create new prescriptions and methods, go through clinical trials, in order to do more research,” he said.
China’s leaders have given strong support to TCM, with several traditional treatments included in national guidelines for Covid-19 treatment.
Among them is Lianhua Qingwen, which was developed in 2003 to treat Sars.
It has 13 ingredients, including apricot kernel, rhubarb, honeysuckle and ephedra, the last of which has been used since the 13th century to treat respiratory complaints.
However, use of the drug to treat Covid-19 has been discouraged or banned in several countries, including the United States, Singapore and Australia, because of concerns about the cardiovascular side effects and lack of proof that it works.
Zhong has been a vocal supporter of the drug. In May 2020, a study he led was published in peer-reviewed medical journal Phytomedicine, which examined the impact of taking Lianhua Qingwen on 284 patients.
It found that the capsule can significantly reduce the clinical symptoms of Covid-19 patients – particularly fever, fatigue and coughing – leading to a higher recovery rate and a shorter recovery time.
During the initial outbreak in 2020, some residents in Xinjiang were given herbal medicine and Lianhua Qingwen capsules and asked to take them daily “to prevent Covid-19” – a move that sparked a public outcry about forcing people to take unproven medicines.
However, there is plenty of scepticism about the treatment among leading Chinese scientists.
In April, Dingxiangyuan (DXY), one of the country’s most popular health and science portals, published an article saying Lianhua Qingwen had no effect in preventing Covid-19.
The article itself triggered a public backlash, accusing the site of discrediting TCM and “opening up the domestic Chinese market for foreign capital investors”.
Earlier this month, DXY’s accounts across multiple social platforms were abruptly suspended. Chinese censors did not specify any reason for the suspension, but the timing gave rise to public speculation that the two were linked.
Zhong did not mention the public debate about DXY’s suspension in his speech.
From:https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3189610/traditional-chinese-medicine-cant-stop-you-getting-covid-19-says