Can traditional Chinese medicine beat swine flu?

Some Beijing medical officials think so, at least for mild cases of the disease. On Thursday, Chinese medicine officials announced that a traditional formula called Jin Hua Qing Gan' has been designated as the world's first 'optimized effective agent' for alleviating the symptoms of the H1N1 virus.

'The clinical study showed that Jin Hua Qing Gan can shorten the duration of fever, alleviate respiratory tract symptoms like sore throat, coughing etc.,' said Zhao Jing, director of the Beijing Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the press conference where the finders were announced.

Currently, however, it's unclear if Jin Hua Qing Gan would directly replace other Western medicines to treat H1N1, especially in serious cases. 'This is indeed an issue, as the target of our research are all H1N1 patients with slight symptoms', said Wang Chen, President of Chaoyang Hospital.

The formula was developed and tested at several Western and traditional medical institutes in Beijing over the past six months. It is based on two major components, both of which have been used for centuries to treat fevers. One is Ma Xing Shi Gan, which has been used in China for more than 2,000 years, and Yin Qiao San （powder of lonicera and forsythia）, which has been used for over 200 years to reduce fever.

The researchers said no adverse reactions have been found so far in patients who took the formula from the 28 traditional hospitals in Beijing that have been using it. A course of treatment costs about 80 yuan （$11.72）.

In the future, Zhao said the new formula will have to go through an approval process. A license could be granted in January and the formula could come on the market in Beijing then.

It's not clear if the formula can be exported. Ma Xing Shi Gan Formula contains Ma Huang, （herba ephedrae）. Although this herb is widely used to treat asthma in China, it was sold in the U.S. as a weight-loss product in dosages far higher than commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. After several highly publicized deaths, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned it in 2004.

中药能够战胜甲流吗？

北京卫生部门的部分官员认为可以，至少对症状不严重的甲流是如此。周四，中国医药部门官员宣布，中药传统配方"金花清感方"已被认定为世界上首个可缓解甲型H1N1流感症状的有效方剂。

北京市中医药管理局局长赵静在宣布这项发现的记者会上说，临床研究显示，"金花清感方"可以缩短流感时间，改善咽痛、咳嗽等呼吸道症状。

不过，目前还不清楚"金花清感方"能否直接替代其他治疗甲流的西药，尤其是在病情严重时。朝阳医院院长王辰说，这的确是个问题，因为我们的研究对象都是病情轻微的甲流患者。

这种药物是北京多家中西医机构经过过去6个多月的科研攻关研制而成的。它来自于两个主要的基础方：其中一个基础方是具有2,000多年治疗发热性传染病历史经验的"麻杏石甘汤",另一个是具有200多年治疗温热疫病历史经验的"银翘散".

研究人员说，迄今为止，在使用此方剂的28所中医院中尚未发现患者出现不良反应。每方剂的费用约为80元（11.72美元）.

赵静说，"金花清感方"未来还需要经过审批程序，预计明年1月正式取得医疗机构制剂生产许可，届时就可以在北京上市销售。

还不清楚这个方剂能否出口。"麻杏石甘汤"中含有麻黄。尽管中国普遍用麻黄治疗哮喘，但它在美国是作为减肥产品出售的，剂量远高于中药中的通常用量。在出现了几起被宣传得沸沸扬扬的致H死亡事件后，美国食品和药物管理局（Food and Drug Administration）在2004年宣布禁止使用麻黄。