ABSTRACT
Towards the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease 19, COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection emerged in Wuhan. The SARS-CoV-2 virus quickly spread across the globe, seriously affecting public health and economic development of countries worldwide. Currently, antiviral drugs developed for COVID-19 lack strong clinical trial support and the high mutation rate of the virus causes difficulties in vaccine development, thus a complex and delayed large scale role out of an efficacious vaccine. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for treating various conditions for thousands of years and has a unique systems theory. It can be individualized into specific therapeutic regimens according to the patients' physical condition, clinical symptoms, and other distinguishing factors. In addition, TCM often has different effects at different disease stages, thus contributing to disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Existing evidence shows that TCM has efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19. The active ingredients of TCM have various pharmacological properties, including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activity, with clinical trials showing that these prescriptions reduce symptoms of COVID-19, promote viral clearance, and ultimately improve survival in infected patients. This article discusses the advantages and mechanisms of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19, hoping to provide a reference platform in the fight against the disease. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Traditional Medicine Research is the property of TMR Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)