China announces effective herbal remedy for flu

• Source: Global Times
• [04:47 December 18 2009]
• Comments

Chinese medical specialists announced Thursday that they developed a herbal medication to treat the A(H1N1) flu.

The remedy, called Jinhua Qinggan, can shorten the time patients suffer from fevers and improve their respiratory system, Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital president Wang Chen said.

Science workers proved the effectiveness of the remedy through medical experiments on more than 4,000 mice and clinical studies on 410 patients with slight A(H1N1) flu syndrome, Beijing Daily reported Thursday.

Cris Tunon, senior program management officer at the World Health Organization Representative Office in China, said Thursday they welcomed the clinical results as the Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a low-cost treatment of the A(H1N1) flu.

Wang said the remedy, which was selected from among more than 100 classic anti-flu prescriptions based on traditional Chinese herbal medicine, cost about one-fourth of the price of Tamiflu.

He added that no side effects were found on patients who were treated with the remedy.

More than 120 medical specialists, led by academicians Wang Yongyan and Li Lianda from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, participated in the research over the past seven months, Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine director Zhao Jing said.

The municipal government earmarked 10 million yuan ($1.47 million) for the project, she said.

The Jinhua prescription had been adopted in many local Traditional Chinese Medicine hospitals, Beijing Daily reported.