Chinese medicine to help fight novel coronavirus in Netherlands and Italy

An instant traditional Chinese medicine in the form of granules that has proved effective in combating COVID-19 in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, will be available in the Netherlands and Italy.

The first batch of the medicine in 750 boxes was exported to the two countries on Sunday and another 5,000 boxes will arrive there next week, according to the Sichuan Neo-Green Pharmaceutical Technology Development Co Ltd in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The instant medicine, which includes traditional Chinese medicine such as Astragalus mongholicus, Cyrtomium fortunei, honeysuckle, Divaricate Saposhniovia root and roasted Rhizoma Atractylodis has been made in line with a prescription from the Health Commission of Hubei province.

Patients can take the instant medicine by simply mixing the granules with boiled water.

It saves time in fighting the novel coronavirus, said Kang Li, a doctor with the Department of TCM at the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu in Sichuan.

To drink a traditional medicinal soup, one normally has to soak all the medicinal herbs in water for half an hour before decocting the mixture of water and the medicinal herbs on a stove for between 20 and 30 minutes, she said.