Chinese art of healing leads COVID-19 fight

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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has seen quite a "renaissance" during the COVID-19 epidemic. Practitioners have used both ancient wisdom and modern technologies in the fight against the illness.

Chinese doctors continue waging their war on COVID-19 with weapons from a Traditional Chinese Medicine classic written 1,800 years ago. One of the new prescriptions used in fighting the coronavirus has an effectiveness rate of over 97 percent.

"In general, the prescription has achieved fair results in the event of emergencies, as a universal treatment of core pathogens in TCM concept," said Dr. Tong Xiaolin, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The"Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Concoction" aims to help patients breathe easier and ease symptoms. 1,200 patients across 10 provinces and regions have taken the medicine – none have worsened. Over 90 percent of the patients have recovered.

Aside from ancient wisdom, there is also a modern scientific research for each new TCM prescription.

"The prescription contains 14 herbs. The analysis indicates constituents from 10 of them can react with two coronavirus proteins. That is to say, it works," said Dr. Huang Luqi from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

For centuries, TCM practitioners have followed their predecessors' philosophy of harmony between humans and nature.

"We insist because it's the right way. At the technical level, TCM has been in progress as the understanding of each herb and prescription deepens," said Dr. Zhang Boli from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, adding, "I think it's great to bring in new technologies while holding fast to TCM's principles and methods."

Zhang says medical schools in Japan and South Korea have asked for TCM assistance. This might just be the moment for the Chinese art of healing to shine on the global stage.