WHO panel: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help prevent mild COVID-19 cases from worsening

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) contains potential benefits for individuals infected with Covid-19, said the World Health Organization (WHO), recommending its use to help manage the pandemic.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) released an advisory in November 2021, noting that Lianhua Qingwen, a TCM product, should only be consumed for cold and flu symptom relief.

“HSA (Health Sciences Authority) approved them based on the documented uses of the ingredients present in the products. They are not approved by HSA to treat or alleviate symptoms of COVID-19,” said MOH.

However, a more recent report by WHO indicates that TCMs might be beneficial in preventing mild Covid-19 cases from worsening.

“Although the trials involved different settings, the data suggested that TCM was both safe and beneficial when combined with conventional antiviral medicine,” said the WHO panel.

The suggestion was made during a three-day meeting in February attended by 21 international experts, including WHO representatives and China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences members.

On mild and moderate viral infections, the data indicated that “TCM was seen to shorten the time to resolution of symptoms, viral clearance and to reduce the proportion of patients progressing to severe disease.”

The findings indicated that the advantages of TCM in a pandemic situation include the wide availability of herbal medicine ingredients and the speed with which TCM can be used to intervene at an early stage of illness.

The WHO panel encouraged member states to consider integrating traditional medicine interventions such as TCM in planning for the clinical management of Covid-19 in the context of their healthcare systems and regulatory frameworks.

However, further research is warranted on TCM for the treatment of Covid-19 since the progress to date lays a strong foundation for international collaboration and cooperation, the report noted.

According to AsiaOne, proprietary TCM is already included in anti-epidemic kits in Hong Kong and distributed citywide by authorities.

Read the full report here. /TISG

Traditional Chinese Medicine as Covid-19 treatment?