Medical workers check patients' information at Jiangxia temporary hospital in Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 14, 2020. The hospital is the first temporary hospital that mainly adopt Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) to treat the patients. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has participated in the treatments of over 60,000 patients of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China, data from the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine has shown.

The TCM has shown positive effects in stopping mild cases developing into severe cases and has been included in the national diagnosis and treatment plan for COVID-19, said Xu Nanping, vice minister of science and technology, at a press conference Friday.

Based on clinical data, a herbal prescription has been jointly recommended by the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, according to Li Yu with the administration.

Among 701 patients across 10 provinces who used the herbal prescription, 130 have recovered, 51 have seen their symptoms cured and 268 have seen their symptoms eased, said Li.

The use of TCM at early stages and the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine have proved to be an important method in curing more patients and reducing mortality, said Yu Yanhong, deputy head of the administration.