Traditional Chinese Medicine as Treatment for Covid-19

Clinical treatment period

This period involving 7 stages, including:

1. Early-stage, characterized as the exterior syndrome of cold-dampness.

In this stage, the clinical manifestations present as follow:

• aversion to cold without sweating,
• headache and generalized heaviness,
• limb pain, glomus and
• fullness in the chest and diaphragm,
• thirst with no desire to drink,
• ungratifying loose stool,
• yellow urine,
• frequent micturition and yellow urine.

The therapeutic logic is to dissipate cold and eliminate dampness. And the recommended prescription is the Huoxiang Zhengqi powder (Yin dampness injuring superficies case from the National Famous Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor Medical Cases); which comprises of:

1. Perilla leaf 10 g,
2. Atractylodes lancea 15 g,
3. Radix angelicae dahuricae 10 g,
4. Dried tangerine or orange peel 10 g,
5. Notopterygium root 10 g,
6. Agastache rugosus 10 g (end addition),
7. Magnolia Officinalis 10 g,
8. Saposhnikovia divaricata 10 g,
9. Poria peel 15 g, and
10. Tetrapanax papyriferus 10 g above yielded decoction.
11. Besides, the recommended Chinese patent medicine is Huoxiang Zhengqi capsules or Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui.

2. Early-stage, characterized as a cold-dampness obstructing lung.

In this stage, the clinical manifestations present as follow:

• aversion to cold with or without fever,
• dry cough,
• dry throat,
• fatigue and hypodynamia,
• oppression in the chest,
• epigastric fullness, or nausea,
• loose stool.
• The tongue is pale or reddish; the tongue fur is slimy white, and
• soggy pulse.
• Hence, the therapeutic logic is to dissipate cold and resolve obstruction.

And the recommended prescriptions comprises of:

1. Atractylodes lancea 15 g,
2. Dried tangerine or orange peel 10 g,
3. Magnolia officinalis 10 g,
4. Agastache rugosus 10 g (end addition),
5. Amomum Tsao-ko 6 g,
6. Ephedra herb 6 g,
7. Notopterygium root 10 g,
8. Ginger 10 g,
9. Areca-nut 10 g (end addition),
10. Periostracum cicada 10 g,
11. Bombyx batryticatus 10 g, and
12. Rhizoma curcumae longae 10 g above-yielded decoction.

3. Middle-stage, characterized as Epidemic Toxin blocking the lung.

In this stage, its clinical manifestations include:

• persistent fever or alternating cold and heat,
• cough with less phlegm, or yellow phlegm,
• abdominal distension and constipation;
• oppression in the chest with inhalation,
• cough with wheezes,
• panting on exertion; or
• red tongue, slimy yellow fur or yellow dry fur, slippery and
• rapid pulse.

Therefore, the therapeutic logic is clearing heat and detoxicating. And the recommended prescription comprises of:

1. Almond 10 g,
2. Gypsum 30 g (predecoction), Note: pre-decoct means to cook by itself before adding to the rest
3. Trichosanthes kirilowii 30 g,
4. Rhubarb 6 g (end addition),
5. Ephedra with honey fried 6 g,
6. Semen lepidii 10 g,
7. Peach kernel 10 g,
8. Amomum Tsao-ko 6 g,
9. Areca-nut 10 g, and
10. Atractylodes lancea 10 g above yielded decoction.

Besides, the recommended Chinese patent medicine is Xiyanping injection or Xuebijing injection.

4. Severe stage characterized as Heat Toxin Generating Stasis.

In this stage, the clinical manifestations are known as:

• high fever,
• oppression in the chest with anhelation,
• purple-black facial complexion,
• lips dark and swollen,
• obnubilation (mental cloudiness),
• crimson tongue, yellow dry fur,
• surging and fine rapid stringlike pulse.
• Thus, its therapeutic logic is detoxicating and dispersing blood stasis.

The recommended prescription is:

1. Three Yellows and Gypsum decoction,
2. Shang Jiang Powder, and Toxin-Resolving Blood-quickening decoction

Toxin-Resolving Blood-quickening decoction. Its composition comprises of:

1. Ephedra with honey fried 10 g,
2. Almond 10 g,
3. Gypsum 20-30 g,
4. Periostracum cicada 10 g,
5. Bombyx batryticatus 10 g,
6. Rhizoma curcumae longae 10 g,
7. Rhubarb stir-fried with wine 10 g,
8. Scutellaria baicalensis 10 g,
9. Coptis Chinensis 5 g,
10. Phillyrin 15 g,
11. Angelica Sinensis 10 g,
12. Peach kernel 10 g,
13. Radix Paeonia Rubra 15 g, and
14. Rhizome of Rehmannia 15 g above yielded decoction.

The recommended Chinese patent medicines are the:

1. Xiyanping injection,
2. Xuebijing injection,
3. Qingkailing injection, or
4. Angong Niuhuang pills.

5. Severe-stage, characterized as inner blocking causing collapse.

In this stage, the clinical manifestations include:

• dyspnea,
• panting on exertion or need assisted ventilation,
• accompanied by coma and agitation,
• cold limbs with cold sweating,
• dark purple tongue, thick or dry thick tongue fur,
• floating and rootless pulse.

The therapeutic logic is rescuing from collapse by restoring Yang. Hence, the recommended prescription comprises of

1. Ginseng 15 g,
2. Aconitine 10 g (predecoction), and
3. Cornus Officinalis 15 g above yielded decoction, and
4. Both herbs were taken with fluid Suhexiang pills or Angong Niuhuang pills.

The recommended Chinese patent medicines are Xuebijing injection, Shenfu injection, or Shengmai injection.

6. Recovery-stage presents as Lung and Spleen Qi deficiency.

Its clinical manifestations include

• shortness of breath,
• fatigue, and
• hypodynamia (weakness),
• anorexia,
• nausea and vomiting,
• glomus and fullness,
• weak stools, ungratifying loose stool,
• pale tender-soft enlarged tongue,
• slimy white tongue fur.

Therefore, therapeutic logic is to supplement the spleen and lung.

The recommended prescription comprises of:

1. Rhizoma pinellinae praeparata 9 g,
2. Dried tangerine or orange peel 10 g,
3. Codonopsis pilosula 15 g,
4. Radix astragali preparata 30 g,
5. Poria cocos 15 g,
6. Agastache rugosus 10 g, and
7. Fructus amomi 6 g (end addition) above yielded decoction.
8. Also, the recommended Chinese patent medicines are the pill of costus and amomum with six noble ingredients.

7. Recovery-stage is characterized as a deficiency of Qi and Yin.

The clinical manifestations of this stage are:

• generalized heat with sweating,
• chest heat vexation,
• Qi counterflow with retching and vomiting,
• shortness of breath and lassitude of essence-spirit,
• red tongue and thin tongue fur,
• vacuous pulse.

Hence, the therapeutic logic is boosting Qi and nourish Yin.

The recommended prescription is:

1. Zhuye Shigao decoction with cogongrass rhizome and
2. Rhizoma phragmitis;

and the composition of this prescription includes

1. Bamboo leaf 15 g,
2. Gypsum 15 g (predecoction),
3. Codonopsis pilosula 15 g,
4. Radix ophiopogonis 10 g,
5. Pinellia ternate 9 g,
6. Cogongrass rhizome 15-30 g,
7. Rhizoma phragmitis 20 g,
8. Licorice 10 g, and
9. Polished round-grained rice 30 g above yielded decoction.

The recommended Chinese patent medicine: Shengmaiyin.

Consult a TCM practitioner before taking anything in this post.

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