By Samwel Doe Ouma @samweldoe
Chinese herbal medicines manufactured by Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical Company Ltd in China and formulated to boost immunity and optimized for viral pneumonias treatment and management, have been introduced to the Kenyan market.
According to the local agent, XRP Medical Kenya Limited, the two herbal medicines-Healthouself formular 3 and Healthouself formular 5 -are herbal medicine used to prevent infection and strengthen immunity and treatment for types of severe acute respiratory infections.
The ingredients found in the two herbal medicines have been used as a complementary prevention therapy, alongside other treatment options to manage SARS-COV-2 in China.
This comes in the backdrop of a World Health Organization (WHO) declaration in March 2020 that the spread of SARS-COV-2 had escalated from epidemic into pandemic and gave guidelines on infections, prevention, and control (IPC) measures.
Following WHO guidelines on IPC measures, cases were still reported even amongst medical staff and Health care workers in Kenya and across the globe.
However, the medical fraternity in China managed to control and reduce infections by regularly using remedies in Healthouself formular 3 to strengthen their immunity.
China also managed to put the pandemic under control after a research team of medical experts led by Zhang Boli used TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) at a model hospital in Wuhan Jiangxia districts and primarily used TCM formulae whose major ingredients are found in Healthouself formula 5 in the treatment of about 564 patients.
During the trial among the 564 patients admitted at Jiangxia Fangcang TCM hospital, 482 were cured and their blood biochemical indices such as lymphocytes and leucocytes showed significant improvements and this shortened the disease treatment course.
No patient condition was recorded to have turned from mild to critical and no nurses and or medical staff were infected by SARS-COV-2.
Following the experiment, TCM was included in the guideline on management, treatment, and prevention of SARS-COV-2. The herbal ingredients found in Healthouself formular 5 had achieved remarkable therapeutic effect within three days for average fever reduction, 10 days average hospital stay, low medical cost, and no death sequelae.
According to Edgar N Ngugi of XRP Medical Kenya Limited, the Healthouself formular 3 consists of the Jade Screen formula in addition to other four herbal ingredients and plays a powerful role in strengthening the immunity and thus is widely used by medical personnel and health care workers in China to reduce nosocomial infections as they observe the laid down WHO guidelines on infection, prevention and control measures,” he said.
He added that its ingredients include astragali radix, atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma, saposhnikoviae radix,lonicerae japonicae,dryopteredis crassirhizomatis and others.”
Healthouself Formular 3 is also recommended for people who are prone to infections including colds and flu.
While Healthouself formular 5 is known to contain anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits, it is also useful in the treatment of severe acute respiratory infections especially those that are zoonotic.
He adds that the two herbal traditional Chinese medicines have been key in the prevention, treatment, and control of various viral pneumonia infections worldwide with minimal side effects and additional beneficial properties which include mitigating multi-organ impairment in patients who are on recovery from the SARS-COV-2 virus.
Ingredients in Healthouself formular 5 have demonstrated, in various studies in China, that for patients at the early stage of viral pneumonia infections, its use alone was sufficient to reduce fevers, symptoms, and viral loads, while for those in severe conditions, its use in conjunction with western therapy could help patients recover.
He cites Dioscoreae rhizoma Wen CC,Shyur LF,Jan JT,et al “Traditional Chinese medicine herbal extracts of cibotium, barometz, Gentiana Scarba,Discorea batatas,Cassia tora, and faxillus chinensis inhibit SAR-COV 1 replication “J.tradit complement Med 2011 as the literature that provides obvious evidence supporting how the two herbal formulas work.
Healthouself formular 3 and Healthouself formular 5 are now available in Kenya at XRP MEDICAL KENYA LTD TEL. 0791695795 who are agents and at major distributor outlets including health shops and pharmacies.