Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis

Publication type:
Journal article
Metadata:
Autoren
Autoren-URL
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=fis-test-1&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:000592920900001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL
DOI
10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153337
eISSN
1618-095X
Externe Identifier
  • Clarivate Analytics Document Solution ID: OW5IU
  • PubMed Identifier: 33221457
ISSN
0944-7113
Zeitschrift
PHYTOMEDICINE
Schlüsselwörter
  • Medicinal herb
  • Phytotherapy
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Viral infection
Artikelnummer
ARTN 153337
Datum der Veröffentlichung
2021
Status
Published
Titel
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis
Sub types
  • Article
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
80

Data source: Web of Science (Lite)

Other metadata sources:
Autoren
DOI
10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153337
ISSN
0944-7113
Zeitschrift
Phytomedicine
Sprache
en
Artikelnummer
153337
Paginierung
153337 - 153337
Datum der Veröffentlichung
2021
Status
Published
Herausgeber
Elsevier BV
Herausgeber URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153337
Datum der Datenerfassung
2023
Titel
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
80

Data source: Crossref

Abstract
<h4>Background</h4>Throughout the 5000-year history of China, more than 300 epidemics were recorded. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) has been used effectively to combat each of these epidemics' infections, and saved many lives. To date, there are hundreds of herbal TCM formulae developed for the purpose of prevention and treatment during epidemic infections. When COVID-19 ravaged the Wuhan district in China in early January 2020, without a deep understanding about the nature of COVID-19, patients admitted to the TCM Hospital in Wuhan were immediately treated with TCM and reported later with >90% efficacy.<h4>Approach</h4>We conducted conduct a systematic survey of various TCM herbal preparations used in Wuhan and to review their efficacy, according to the published clinical data; and, secondly, to find the most popular herbs used in these preparations and look into the opportunity of future research in the isolation and identification of bioactive natural products for fighting COVID-19.<h4>Results</h4>Although bioactive natural products in these herbal preparations may have direct antiviral activities, TCM employed for fighting epidemic infections was primarily based on the TCM theory of restoring the balance of the human immune system, thereby defeating the viral infection indirectly. In addition, certain TCM teachings relevant to the meridian system deserve better attention. For instance, many TCM herbal preparations target the lung meridian, which connects the lung and large intestine. This interconnection between the lung, including the upper respiratory system, and the intestine, may explain why certain TCM formulae showed excellent relief of lung congestion and diarrhea, two characteristics of COVID-19 infection.<h4>Conclusion</h4>There is good reason for us to learn from ancient wisdom and accumulated clinical experience, in combination with cutting edge science and technologies, to fight with the devastating COVID-19 pandemic now and emerging new coronaviruses in the future.
Addresses
  • Bio-Organic and Natural Products Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478. Electronic address: dle@mclean.harvard.edu.
Autoren
DOI
10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153337
eISSN
1618-095X
Externe Identifier
  • PubMed Identifier: 33221457
  • PubMed Central ID: PMC7521884
Open access
true
ISSN
0944-7113
Zeitschrift
Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
Schlüsselwörter
  • Humans
  • Plants, Medicinal
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Antiviral Agents
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • China
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Sprache
eng
Medium
Print-Electronic
Online publication date
2020
Open access status
Open Access
Paginierung
153337
Datum der Veröffentlichung
2021
Status
Published
Datum der Datenerfassung
2020
Titel
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis.
Sub types
  • research-article
  • Journal Article
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
80

Files

https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC7521884?pdf=render

Data source: Europe PubMed Central

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Throughout the 5000-year history of China, more than 300 epidemics were recorded. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) has been used effectively to combat each of these epidemics' infections, and saved many lives. To date, there are hundreds of herbal TCM formulae developed for the purpose of prevention and treatment during epidemic infections. When COVID-19 ravaged the Wuhan district in China in early January 2020, without a deep understanding about the nature of COVID-19, patients admitted to the TCM Hospital in Wuhan were immediately treated with TCM and reported later with >90% efficacy. APPROACH: We conducted conduct a systematic survey of various TCM herbal preparations used in Wuhan and to review their efficacy, according to the published clinical data; and, secondly, to find the most popular herbs used in these preparations and look into the opportunity of future research in the isolation and identification of bioactive natural products for fighting COVID-19. RESULTS: Although bioactive natural products in these herbal preparations may have direct antiviral activities, TCM employed for fighting epidemic infections was primarily based on the TCM theory of restoring the balance of the human immune system, thereby defeating the viral infection indirectly. In addition, certain TCM teachings relevant to the meridian system deserve better attention. For instance, many TCM herbal preparations target the lung meridian, which connects the lung and large intestine. This interconnection between the lung, including the upper respiratory system, and the intestine, may explain why certain TCM formulae showed excellent relief of lung congestion and diarrhea, two characteristics of COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSION: There is good reason for us to learn from ancient wisdom and accumulated clinical experience, in combination with cutting edge science and technologies, to fight with the devastating COVID-19 pandemic now and emerging new coronaviruses in the future.
Date of acceptance
2020
Autoren
Autoren-URL
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33221457
DOI
10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153337
eISSN
1618-095X
Externe Identifier
  • PubMed Central ID: PMC7521884
Zeitschrift
Phytomedicine
Schlüsselwörter
  • Medicinal herb
  • Phytotherapy
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Viral infection
  • Antiviral Agents
  • COVID-19
  • China
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Humans
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • Plants, Medicinal
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Sprache
eng
Country
Germany
Paginierung
153337
PII
S0944-7113(20)30169-0
Datum der Veröffentlichung
2021
Status
Published
Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde
2020
Titel
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis.
Sub types
  • Journal Article
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
80

Data source: PubMed

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