Covid-19 Chinese Herbal Formula Approved for FDA Clinical Trial

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners have been turning to herbal formulations to combat the multitude of Covid-19 related symptoms. There are over 300 herbs commonly used in Chinese pharmacopeia, and many of them carry antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer properties.

Many of us already use Chinese medicinals every day and don’t even know it! Herbs like cinnamon, mint, and ginger are regularly used in these all-natural formulas. Through thousands of years of experience and refinement, TCM doctors have developed prescriptions that can help treat individualized disease patterns and presentations. The rise of Covid-19 has led to the present-day creation of a COVID-19 specific herbal formula called Qing Fei Pai Du Tang (QFPDT).

QFPDT is a 21 herb formulation that is composed of 4 different classical Chinese formulas and was specifically developed for the optimized treatment of COVID-19. The formulas and actions included within QFPDT are:

• Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang--> treats common cold, fever, influenza, and viral infections blocks viral entry.

• She Gan Ma Huang Tang--> treatment of flu-like symptoms, asthma, sore throat, tonsillitis, inflammation

• Xiao Chai Hu Tang--> antiviral and anti-carcinogenic properties

• Wu Ling San--> can improve kidney excretion function and inflammatory responses

• Additional herbs--> anti-diarrhea, regulates nausea and vomiting

Qing Fei Pai Du Tang has been used in China since the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been a secret weapon for TCM practitioners in combating the virus in the United States as well. QFPDT has now gained enough attention and proven enough success that the FDA has approved a series of clinical trials to test the safety of a modified QFPDT in treatment of mild to moderately ill, self-quarantining COVID patients.

The study will take place at UCLA and UCSD and consists of a double-blinded random controlled trial, which started July 1st,, 2021, and will be complete by December 31st 2022. This is an excellent start towards the recognition of the importance of natural and alternative medicine in the clinical treatment of modern diseases.