Source: Taiwan News

A Taiwan-developed herbal medicine for COVID-19 can be used to treat both adults and children, with reports of patients’ symptoms successfully relieved, the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association said at a press conference on Friday (April 19).

With 99.6% of new cases found to have no or mild symptoms, most are now subject to home care and are eligible to access the NRICM101, a homegrown Chinese medicine for COVID.

Prescriptions can be given remotely via video consultations with a doctor and the drug fetched by a patient's family or friends, per CNA. NRICM101 has been a subsidized medication since January, according to the association.

The NRICM101 (清冠一號) regimen developed by the National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine (NRICM) in 2020 is mainly used to treat patients with no or mild symptoms, such as a cough, fever, tiredness, and smell and taste disorders.

A COVID-positive patient surnamed Chiang (江), who attended the press event via a video link, said she had developed symptoms of a cough and sore throat, but had become much better after taking NRICM101 for six days.

The medication works for all age groups, having been applied to those as young as 3 and as old as 90, according to Huang Yi-chia (黃怡嘉), director of Tri-Service General Hospital’s Chinese Medicine Department. The hospital had previously tended to about 200 patients, who had seen their illness alleviated following a 10-day course, Huang added.

He cautioned, however, that the doses of the herbal drug must be decided by doctors based on the weight of patients. Tens of thousands from overseas have tried the regimen and no side effects have been flagged, he noted.