Tymoshenko talks about TCM in an interview Photo: Xinhua

"The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) helped me conquer COVID-19!"

After recovering from being seriously ill with COVID-19, former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko became a fan of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and called on the international society to earnestly study TCM and apply it to the fight against COVID-19 and other diseases.

Tymoshenko was confirmed to have contracted with coronavirus on August 23 and was in serious condition. She was put on ventilators and decided to seek help from China. 

With the help of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine, Tymoshenko's medical team reached out to Chinese experts to negotiate suitable treatment using TCM, the Global Times learned from Cai Chuanqing, a TCM doctor who treated her remotely from China, on Sunday. 

"She took the first dosage on September 5 and felt better, and it only took her seven days to fully recover and have her COVID-19 test results negative," Cai said. 

The Global Times learned from the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine on Sunday that Tymoshenko sent a video link to the embassy, appreciating China's effort in helping her recovery and acknowledging the curative effect of TCM in treating COVID-19. 

She also expressed her gratitude toward TCM experts who gave her instructions on taking TCM when she was suffering from the most severe symptoms of the disease.  

Cai said the medicine he gave Tymoshenko was based on a prescription from ancient China that dates back to the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). 

By combining features of the coronavirus with the prescription, the medicine could target the highly contagious nature of the virus, and prevent its rapid development and attack on people's immune systems. 

The prescription adheres to TCM's principle of strengthening the body while fighting off the virus by cutting off the spread of the coronavirus within the body and then improving immunity and restoring normal functions, according to Cai. 

Before taking the prescriptions, they must go through ingredient analysis and toxicology tests, Cai explained.

"Tymoshenko told me that Chinese medicine and treatment has withstood the test of time and she is set to promote TCM to the rest of the world," Cai said. 

Cai Chuanqing, 49, is an expert in TCM who serves as the head of the Jintai Institute of Culture and Economics in Beijing.

Some articles circulating online said that he is believed to be one of the "top four" TCM doctors in China's capital city.

China is sharing the experience of using TCM in the treatment of COVID-19 with foreign countries as clinical observation shows that in Hubei, the province hit hardest by the virus in China, more than 90 percent of the infected patients received TCM treatment that was proven effective. 

A recent example of how popular TCM is in China in preventing and treating COVID-19 is that after Zhong Nanshan, China's top respiratory expert, said last week that Banlangen granules, a common TCM in treatment of cold, might be able to inhibit coronavirus, the medicine immediately sold out across China.

Most of the medical teams dispatched by the Chinese government to aid the fight against COVID-19 in other countries include TCM doctors and Chinese organizations and institutions have donated TCM medicines, herbs, acupuncture needles and other instruments to more than a dozen countries and regions.

During this global health crisis, TCM appears to be winning more recognition overseas, not only among the public, but also government officials.