Chinese Herbs to Reduce COVID Symptoms
By Letha Hadady
Photo by Conscious Design
As of June 11th, 2020, there were twenty American states reporting an increase in new cases at a time when North America was hesitantly reopening for business. Now COVID and its variants are raging in all the United States.
One key to staying well is to protect our core health and defensive energy by strengthening Stomach and Spleen digestion with a sensible diet. That can help prevent the common cold and allergies. But after an invading army of discomforts has penetrated our defenses, we need to treat internal imbalances such as fever and infection which more acutely damage health.
A Long Tradition of Fighting Epidemics
Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of herbal medicines used to cure epidemic disease. The Shang Han Lun, one of the earliest Chinese medicine texts. explains the treatment of epidemic disease and how it penetrates us from outside the body. Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have been proven effective for curbing milder symptoms of COVID19 without creating an auto-immune response (cytokine storm). Here is one such remedy that may help you to keep your energy and courage strong.
Good News from China
May 5, 2020, cgtn.com news (China Global Television Network) reported that China's top respiratory expert, Zhong Nanshan, said the Chinese patent remedy Lian Hua Qing Wen capsule “has been proven effective for the treatment of COVID-19.”
Experiments show that traditional Chinese medicine can inhibit the virus and repair cell injuries and inflammation caused by the virus. It is most effective for patients showing mild symptoms. According to controlled experiments:
For the treatment of COVID-19, the main effects of Lianhua Qingwen are as follows: First, after taking the capsule, patients' symptoms improve quickly, two days earlier than the control group. Second, CT scan results also show that patients recover faster than the control group. Third, the capsule can shorten fever time.
Many Chinese embassies across the globe are providing overseas Chinese students with health packs containing an anti-epidemic guide and medical kits. Dr. Zhong suggested that identifying and isolating asymptomatic people is a vital strategy in containing the spread of COVID19 and its variants.
According to the manufacturer, Lian Hua Qing Wen Capsule is recommended for treating influenza “syndrome of heat toxin attacking lung.” The symptoms are: mild fever or high fever, chills, muscle aches, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, headache, dry throat, red tongue, or with a yellow or greasy tongue coating, etc.
Photo by Jason Mitrione
Lianhua Qingwen Capsules Ingredients:
Forsythia bark
Honeysuckle flower
Ephedra
Fried bitter almonds
Prepared gypsum
Radix Isatidis
Mianma Guanzhong
Houttuynia cordata
Patchouli
Rhubarb
Rhodiola rosea
Menthol
Licorice
Minimal starch
Forsythia, honeysuckle, isatis are anti-inflammatory, antibiotic herbs. processed gypsum powder is a strong anti-inflammatory. mianma guanzhong (Dryopteris root) is a detoxifying, anti-inflammatory vine. Ephedra, (ma huang,) often used for fighting epidemic disease, is detoxifying. All the herbs have toxin-clearing, anti-inflammatory effects. Rhubarb reduces fever and increases cleansing.
Forsythia, honeysuckle flower, and isatis root are bitter tasting, cooling broad-spectrum antibiotic herbs that treat skin, lung, and large intestine infections and breast abscess. Isatis also purifies and protects the liver. The cooling detoxifying actions of the herbs and processed gypsum, a mineral, is balanced with the diaphoretic action of ephedra. Ephedra is not Mormon Tea, a popular name, but is much stronger. It is not sold separately but is available in herbal formulas to drive out “evil wind” a category of illness that encompasses aches, fever, and epidemic germs that can affect our immune defense. Ephedra drives out colds and chills by increasing sweating. It is balanced with the laxative rhubarb. Do you get the picture? The invader is exploded out of the body with sweating and laxative action, while antibiotic herbs stop infection in its tracks.
The capsule contains yellow/brownish herbal granules and powder, with a “slightly fragrant aroma and slightly bitter taste.” Oral Dosage: 4 capsules at a time, 3 times a day. Each capsule contains 0.35 grams. It comes with a long list of precautions that will give you an idea of what to avoid while fighting a cold/flu infection:
Precautions:
1. Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and spicy, cold/raw, or greasy foods.
2. It is not advisable to take herbal tonics (“nourishing Chinese medicine” such as ginseng) at the same time as taking this medicine.
3. It is not suitable for people with internal cold (chills, weakness, watery diarrhea) or the common cold. (That indicates “weak Spleen”)
4. Use caution in patients with hypertension and heart disease. Those with severe chronic diseases such as liver disease, diabetes, and kidney disease should take it under the guidance of a physician.
5. Children, pregnant women, lactating women, elderly frail, and spleen-deficiency loose stools patients should use this remedy under the guidance of a physician.
6. Patients with fever and body temperature exceeding 38.5℃ (101 degrees F) should go to the hospital for treatment.
7. Take this medicine strictly according to usage and dosage, this product should not be taken for a long time. (In some cases a strongly detoxifying herbal combination can be balanced by using a medicinal mushroom such as reishi since it tends to avoid an excess immune response (a cytokine storm which increases inflammatory symptoms: rash, fever, swollen extremities, vomiting, rapid breathing, seizures, etc.)
8. If there is no improvement of symptoms after taking this medicine for 3 days, patients should go to the hospital for treatment.
9. It is forbidden for people who are allergic to this product, and those with allergies should use caution.
10. It is prohibited to use this product when its properties change. (for example, if the herbal actions cause aggravated inflammatory or weakness symptoms)
11. Children must use this under adult supervision.
12. Please keep this product out of the reach of children.
13. If you are using other drugs, please consult your physician or pharmacist before using this product.
14. Athletes use this product with caution.
15. After opening the moisture-proof bag, prevent exposure to moisture.
Note: Patients using prescribed medicines should check with their doctors before using this or any product. To avoid catching COVID19 and variants, spreading it even without symptoms, the countries most successful in defeating its spread have followed stringent national plans of testing, tracking, and isolation of sick people.