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They are opposed to chemical medicines or want a supplement, so they use herbal capsules, herbal teas or acupuncture: many Chinese people resort to traditional medicine against the current wave of Covid in China.
President Xi Jinping regularly promotes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the authorities praise its role in the face of the disease, in addition to modern medicine which remains by far the preferred mode of care in the country.
Traditional medicine brings together various practices (herbal medicines, minerals or animal extracts, massages, acupuncture, dietetics, tai-chi gymnastics, etc.) and has been used for millennia.
Its detractors, many in China itself, see it as ineffective pseudoscience and point out that there are few scientific studies proving its potential effectiveness.
But millions of people use it in the country, praising the virtual absence of side effects, which are customary with conventional so-called “Western” drugs (fatigue, digestive or even endocrine disorders).
Employee of a consulting company in Beijing, Yu Lei, 38, was feverish during his Covid, so he made himself a cassier tea, a kind of Chinese cinnamon, with peony roots, licorice, jujubes and ginger, a decoction with reputed anti-inflammatory properties.
“During the night my fever went down“, he assures AFP.
According to its followers, Chinese medicines act more slowly, in order to regulate the body and open a way out (perspiration, urine, stool) to the pathogen.
“As a family, we often use TCM. It is preferred to Western drugs, which attack the symptoms but rarely the source of the problem“, says Yu Lei.
“We do not know”
“Chinese medicines” are normally decoctions, made on the prescription of a specialized doctor. But today, many Chinese buy ready-made drugs directly from pharmacies, without a prescription, and whose packaging (capsules, pastilles, powders) is similar to Western drugs.
“It is not known if these treatments are effective, as they have not been studied in clinical trials“, underlines however Ben Cowling, professor of epidemiology at the school of public health of the university of Hong Kong.
“I don’t rule out the possibility that some of them are effective, but I also don’t rule out the possibility that some of them may be harmful.”
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) only recommends treatments based on chemical drugs against Covid-19.
Asked by AFP about TCM, she said laconically advising countries to “gather reliable evidence and data on traditional medicine practices and products“.
Western medicine remains largely favored by the population and hospitals.
But health authorities and medical experts invited in the media regularly assure that the two medicines can play “a complementary role” against fever, joint pain, cough and sore throat.
On the internet, many autodidacts share their recipes for infusions, massage techniques or acupuncture point pressure.
A 68-year-old acupuncturist, Li Wen pricks himself with a few needles to combat his flu-like condition.
“Chinese medicines are useful to confront the virus, but cannot kill the virus”he says.
Pears and leek
Against a cough, Danni, a 39-year-old Beijinger, takes Pei Pa Koa, a syrup made from plant extracts.
“Not because I can’t find western medicine“, which the Chinese sometimes struggle to obtain since the explosion of Covid-19 cases,”but because it is effective and soothing“, she declares.
“JI also prepare me a pear soup and hot water with lemon, to relieve the throat and for vitamin C intake.”
A 70-year-old Beijinger, Cai Yongmao uses two Chinese medicines with anti-inflammatory properties.
“I also make myself a leek-garlic-ginger broth to relieve my sore throat.“, he says.
“I have been using plants for decades to treat colds, coughs, respiratory diseases… Why? Because I am satisfied with the results and the media often praise their benefits.”
But many are unconvinced.
“We young people know little about traditional medicine. Western medicines are favored because they have immediate results“, judge Grace Hsia, director of 30 years.
“Against the fever, I took paracetamol and the effect was very fast“, abounds Li Na, a 36-year-old Beijinger.Chinese medicine is ineffective. People take more to reassure themselves, to tell themselves that they are taking something.”
For Lan Jirui, doctor of Chinese medicine in Beijing, the doubts surrounding their effectiveness are mainly due to self-medication.
“It’s the same logic as Western medicine. If the drug is purchased on the doctor’s prescription, then most likely it will be effective. If it’s randomly bought from the pharmacy, then maybe not…”