Top institutions of traditional Chinese medicine announced Thursday
that they have selected eight prepared traditional Chinese
medicine, instant herbal mixture or injections, for the treatment
of severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) patients.
The remedies, including "banlangen", or isatis root, were selected
by a group of 150 researchers from 30 prepared Chinese traditional
drugs already used by hospitals in Guangdong Province and Beijing
for SARS patients, the Science and Technology Mission under the
National Headquarters of SARS Prevention and Control said in a news
release.
These medicines have a "probable effect" on improving the symptoms
of SARS patients, the Science and Technology Mission said.
Another seven selections were canary creeper granules, Qingkailing
injection, cordate houttuynia injectio, Xinxue granules and three
other injections made of herbs
The massive research program, headed by the Chinese Academy of
Traditional Chinese Medicine, also involved experts from the
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, the Institute of Materia
Medica of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the
MilitaryAcademy of Medical Sciences.
Over the past 17 days and nights, scientists have conducted 118sets
of experiments on 45,000 white rats and 700 domestic rabbits.More
than 6,000 biological and chemical tests have been done during the
process.
The research has provided a scientific data basis for the treatment
of SARS using Chinese herbal medicines and will pave theway for new
herbal drugs to treat the disease, medical experts say.Enditem
(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2003)
