BEIJING — Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a significant role and is irreplaceable in treating viral infectious diseases from the experiences drawn from the COVID-19 epidemic, said a Chinese TCM expert on April 17.

TCM has its unique advantage in the face of such a new and unknown disease, said Wang Wei, deputy head of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, at a press conference in Beijing.

TCM can conduct pathogenesis analysis based on the symptoms, onset time, region, season and other factors and carry out the treatment based on TCM's syndrome differentiation, said Wang.

TCM can come up with a treatment plan very quickly for clinical use, Wang noted.

"Many classic TCM books have very rich experience in fighting against epidemics, and we should dig deep into these books," said Wang, who suggested that the scientific laws and basis of TCM treatment should be further studied in national science and technology projects.

TCM pays special attention to three aspects, namely the environment, the toxicity and the people, explained Wang Qi, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, at the press conference.

"In the COVID-19 outbreak, TCM has demonstrated its unique advantage in reducing the fatality rate and improving the recovery rate," said Wang Qi, noting that it is necessary to summarize the experience of TCM's use in fighting the epidemic to prepare for the next outbreak of infectious disease.

Stressing updating the diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-19 with the combined use of TCM and Western medicine, he urged efforts to study the medicinal properties and clinical applicability of prescriptions that had been proved effective in curing COVID-19 patients.

Wang Qi also called for establishing an information-sharing platform to support front-line medical staff.