The “Gansu Prescription,” a Tibetan medicine formula for preventing and treating epidemics, has proven effective against the epidemic.

On December 10, the “Summary Meeting on Real-World Cases of Tibetan Medicine in the Treatment of COVID-19 at Gansu Fangcang Hospitals” was held online. The meeting revealed that, based on observations of 500 recovered patients, the sequential therapy using exclusively Tibetan medicine demonstrated rapid relief of symptoms caused by the Omicron variant and a low rate of re-positive results. The conclusions were presented by the head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Jiuquan People’s Hospital, who is also the principal investigator of the research project titled “Real-World Observations on Tibetan Medicine Treatment for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia.”

This project is a special emergency research initiative for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, approved by the Gansu Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2022. It represents the first domestic application of a sequential therapy combining mobile cabin-based Tibetan medicine treatment with post-recovery Tibetan medicine to prevent relapse. The treatment course lasts fourteen days, and the study has confirmed that this all-Tibetan-medicine sequential therapy is highly effective in alleviating Omicron symptoms and reducing the risk of re-positive results.

The report noted that on October 12, in light of the performance of the “Gansu Prescription”—a Tibetan medicine formula—during the fight against COVID-19 in Wuhan and Nepal, the Health Commission of Jiuquan City requested support. With the backing of the Gansu Provincial Health Commission, a three-member Tibetan medical emergency response team specializing in Tibetan medicine was dispatched to the Liugou Fangcang Hospital in Guazhou County, Jiuquan City. From the hospital’s opening on October 12 until October 18, the team had admitted a total of 500 confirmed COVID-19 patients. The team members came from Qizheng Lintao Tibetan Hospital and Lanzhou Tibetan Hospital. They administered 800 doses—over 8,200 boxes—of various Tibetan medicines supported by Qizheng Tibetan Medicine, including Cuitang Granules, Influenza Pills, Renqing Mangjue, Ten-Flavor Gentian Flower, and Lung-Clearing & Cough-Relieving Pills. The team adopted a sequential therapeutic approach, combining Fangcang-based Tibetan medicine treatment with post-recovery Tibetan medicine aimed at preventing relapse.

Among the 500 patients admitted, 43.78% were asymptomatic, while 56.21% presented with symptoms such as cough, fatigue, dry throat, and sore throat. The first batch of patients who met the recovery criteria began to leave the makeshift hospital on October 22. By November 6, all 500 patients had tested negative and been discharged. From November 14 to 16, the medical team at the makeshift hospital conducted the first round of follow-up surveys to check for re-positive cases among the 500 patients. Only two individuals tested positive again after leaving the facility, but they quickly turned negative again, accounting for just 0.4%. Currently, all 500 patients are in good physical and mental health and are living normal lives.

At the meeting, the emergency response team for Tibetan medicine treatment in Jiuquan introduced that, on the second day after taking Tibetan medicine, 86% of patients had their body temperature return to normal, and 83% of patients reported the disappearance of headache symptoms. By the fourth day of Tibetan medicine treatment, 75% of patients saw their cough symptoms subside, and 72% of patients no longer experienced dryness or sore throat. Thanks to Tibetan medicine treatment, patients’ overall symptoms were rapidly alleviated, and by the sixth day, most symptoms had completely disappeared. As medical practitioners, the team has personally been involved in treating the Omicron outbreak and has deeply experienced that, in the current situation, we should face the virus with a calm and composed attitude and focus wholeheartedly on providing effective medical care.

Liu Borong, Deputy Director of the Gansu Provincial Health Commission, spoke at the conference, stating that the summary of the experience in using the “Gansu Prescription” for prevention and treatment has provided a real-world, reliable basis for safeguarding the health of the people. The entire process of treating Omicron with Tibetan medicine has fully demonstrated Gansu Province’s flexibility in adopting multiple measures and the richness of its therapeutic approaches. It proves that the centuries-old accumulated experience of traditional Chinese medicine in combating epidemics, when subjected to scientific practice, can still play a vital role in today’s treatment of infectious diseases, thereby alleviating public concerns about infection and recovery.

Reporting media: China News Service, Gansu

Report link: http://www.gs.chinanews.com.cn/news/2022/12-10/356191.shtml