Research progress on chemical composition and clinical efficacy of Lianhua Qingwen (LHQW) capsule, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used to treat COVID-19 / 药学实践杂志

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of COVID-19 posed a huge threat to human health and social stability. With the rapid spread of the virus around the world, the drug development and related research of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have become an urgent issue in the medical field. COVID-19 fails into the category of epidemics in the theory of TCM. LHQW capsule has repeatedly played an important role in many major epidemics. Previous studies have shown that LHQW capsule can inhibit the biological activity of varied viruses including MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. The paper summarizes the relevant research data and achievements of LHQW capsule in the past few years, reviews the chemical constituents, clinical efficacy and pharmacological effects of LHQW capsule, and provides scientific basis for the anti-virus mechanism of LHQW capsule and clinical treatment of COVID-19.