The authors’ effort to highlight the global application of phytochemicals, including those from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is commendable. However, we wish to address a specific point in Section 1.1 regarding the clinical evidence for the Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction (LCDD) against COVID-19.
The authors state: “The first trial showed that LCDD was effective on 90% of the 214 COVID-19 patients. Further trials were carried out on a more extensive trial group with 1262 patients, including 57 with severe symptoms. The results showed that 99.28% of the patients recovered, and none developed severe symptoms during the treatment [8].”
The cited reference for this claim (Weng, J.-K., 2020) is a perspective article that itself summarizes and interprets these clinical observations. It does not constitute a primary source with detailed methodological data, control groups, or peer-reviewed statistical analysis of a formal clinical trial.
Presenting these remarkable efficacy rates (90-99.28%) in the context of a scientific review without clarifying the nature of the primary evidence, which, to our knowledge, stems from observational studies and reports released by health authorities during a public health emergency, may inadvertently mislead readers into attributing a level of conclusive, evidence-based proof to these findings that is not yet established.
The pursuit of TCM’s modernization is a key national strategy in China, with a strong emphasis on validating its efficacy through the gold standard of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and rigorous scientific inquiry. Therefore, to uphold the highest standards of scientific accuracy and to fairly represent the current state of TCM research, we suggest that such claims would benefit from a more nuanced presentation. A more accurate framing would be:
Preliminary clinical observations and reports from China suggested that formulations like the Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction (LCDD) were associated with high recovery rates in COVID-19 patients [link to the official source: https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/gwylflkjz95/index.htm%5D. These promising findings highlight the potential of TCM and warrant rigorous investigation through randomized controlled trials to conclusively determine efficacy and safety.