Officials in Beijing have been providing coronavirus patients traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), claiming the remedies cure the deadly virus. 

Beijing has increasingly turned to traditional sources, with the Ministry of Science and Technology reporting that 85% of all patients have been given TCM. 

One so-called cure for the virus is a bag of brown soup which comes from 20 herbs which officials claim is a ‘lung-clearing and detoxing soup’.

Many TCM remedies contain animal products, and some use parts from endangered animals such as elephant tusks and rhino horns.

‘Placebo’

A drone engineer named Xiong Qingzhen spent two weeks in a coronavirus hospital, and said all patients were given TCM.

He told CNN he believed the remedies are ‘sheer placebo’ and refused to consume them, but he was in a small minority with his views. 

China has used its success in slowing the spread of coronavirus to promote TCM.

“We are willing to share the ‘Chinese experience’ and ‘Chinese solution’ of treating Covid-19, and let more countries get to know Chinese medicine, understand Chinese medicine and use Chinese medicine,” Yu Yanhong, deputy head of China’s National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, announced at a press conference this month.

Scientists across the world are racing to find a vaccine for the virus which has led to a global pandemic, and as of yet there are no known cures. 

China has insisted its herbal remedies support the immune system and help patients fight off coronavirus. 

Claims

China has no reported it is seeing no new cases of coronavirus as covid-19 wreaks havoc across the globe. Officials have claimed that patients who used TCM had 33% a higher recovery rate than those who relied on Western medicine. 

“By adjusting the whole body health and improving immunity, TCM can help stimulate the patients’ abilities to resist and recover from the disease, which is an effective way of therapy,” Yu said. 

But scientists have warned that the sample sizes from studies are tiny and insignificant, and that most coronavirus patients will recover even if they take no action at all. 

The traditional Chinese medicine industry is worth $430bn, and is even promoted by President Xi Jinping.

• Read: 5 important ways to remain healthy, calm and safe during the novel coronavirus outbreak

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