As China appears to be emerging from the worst of the coronavirus outbreak, government officials are encouraging the use of traditional medicine for treatment and prevention, but the practice is giving the public a false sense of security amid the pandemic. Experts warn that it could cause
China’s National Health Commission reported last month that of the more than 80,000 people infected with the coronavirus since the outbreak began last December, 90 percent had taken some traditional Chinese medicine to treat their symptoms. .
Traditional treatments can alleviate symptoms, reduce the severity of the virus, improve recovery rates and reduce mortality, according to Yu Yanhong, director general of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, at a March 23 press conference in Wuhan. is said to have decreased.
But the herbal medicines that China is exporting around the world as part of its efforts to fight the coronavirus pose direct and indirect risks to patients, said Dr Ezzard Ernst, professor emeritus of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter in the UK. Stated. on mail.
“TCM mixtures can be toxic, contaminated, contaminated with prescription drugs, and can even interact with prescription drugs,” Ernst said. It can also lull patients into a false sense of security, leading them to ignore proven medications and treatments.
Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of more than 3,000 years and includes a variety of diagnostic approaches, such as a physical examination of a patient’s pulse and tongue, and a variety of treatments, such as ingesting herbs such as ginseng and acupuncture. Masu.
According to the World Health Organization, it accounts for up to half of all medicines consumed in China. More than 7,000 herbal medicines available in pharmacies are regulated by the State Medical Products Administration.
“This is a Chinese legal medical system that runs parallel to Western medicine, and of course there is also an integration of traditional medicine and Western medicine,” Dr. Jianping Liu, a professor of clinical epidemiology at Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told NBC News.
“It’s a holistic approach.”
According to Liu, the main herbal formulas recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 are Jinhua Blue Pill Capsules, Lianhua Qingwen Capsules, and Shoufeng Jidu Capsules.
These treatments consist of combinations of dozens of herbs, and the exact breakdown is not widely known, Liu said.
Dan Rahammar, a molecular cell biologist and president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, said in a telephone interview that the lack of details about the treatment contributed to doubts about its effectiveness.
“We need to know which specific products are claimed to be effective and what the evidence is,” he said, adding that he then went on to explain the different variations of penicillin. I mentioned the importance.
Recent reports published in the Japanese journals “Bioscience Trends” and “Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine” support various traditional treatments for COVID-19 infection, but Rahamar said these and similar studies lack scientific rigor, lack adequate sample sizes, use vague terminology or non-pharmacological concepts, or test combinations of herbs. too much to analyze its specific effects.
“These are like parodies. No one can take this seriously,” he said in an email.
However, traditional Chinese medicine is supported not only in China but also overseas.
Since the number of infections and deaths in Hubei province began to plateau, the Chinese government has provided aid to other countries overwhelmed by the outbreak, with state media saying the aid has ranged from testing kits to traditional It is said to extend to Chinese medical experts and products.
According to Chinese broadcaster CGTN, the country sent 100,000 boxes of a treatment called Lianhua Qingwen to Italy this month. The team of 12 doctors sent to help with the outbreak in Milan also included two experts in traditional Chinese medicine, state newspaper Global Times reported.
The number of traditional Chinese medicine patients in the UK has increased since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak began in December, said Qiquan Yin, general manager of the London Institute of Chinese Medicine. , seeking remedies for its prevention and treatment.
Mr Yin said that although closed due to the continuing UK lockdown, GPs were still conducting telemedicine consultations and were able to treat patients, including a couple in their 50s from London, who were confirmed to have the virus. He stated that he was prescribing treatment drugs.
Regarding questions surrounding treatment, Yin said: “Controversy is always there, not just with this disease.
“It’s very difficult in clinical trials to show the actual benefits of traditional herbs, including Chinese as well as traditional Western herbs,” he said.
“It would be good if this method could reduce symptoms even a little bit, and of course it would be even better if it did, but if it puts patients at further risk, then we are facing a serious problem.” said Rahmar of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
He explained that people infected with the virus may believe that by taking herbal medicines they are no longer contagious and resume socializing with others prematurely. Some people take drugs thinking they will prevent illness, putting themselves and others at risk.
Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, said that until there is more evidence suggesting the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine, it should be treated as a “non-issue”. .
“It’s a distraction from questions that could be embarrassing for the Chinese government,” he said, explaining the political posturing.
He said China’s alleged mismanagement of the first few cases of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus should receive attention, including whether China could have shared data sooner and how much supplies it currently has. He said that the question should be whether this includes asking about quality. Exports to other countries hit by the disease.
Rather, with President Donald Trump’s comments calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” as a backdrop, the Chinese Communist Party is able to defend traditional medicine while branding its critics as racist and playing to people’s sentiments, Tsang said.
“You love the Party because it protects your traditional medicine, national honor and tradition,” he said.
