On November 18, 2023, at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, TCM Doctor Association Thailand co-organised “WFAS 2023 International Symposium On Acupuncture-Moxibustion” to discuss about acupuncture-moxibustion and how to inherit the essence and promote the innovation and development of TCM . Also, the symposium also aimed to find room for collaboration between experts.
At the event, Wu Yiling, Chinese medicine cardiovascular disease expert and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, had provided the interview opportunity to the press about traditional Chinese medicine and its contribution to the modern medicine, as well as his discovery and its contribution in saving lives around the world.
He explained that Chinese medicine had been the heart of China for thousand years and had been treating Chinese people since ancient time. One of the topics that had been the center of medical research attention in China for 2000 years was Luo, the vessel of qi and blood, as it has been believed in Chinese medicine that it is the cause of cardiovascular disease, endocrine disease such as diabetes and kidney related diseases. He added when it came to Luo related disease, it may lead to fatalities and it was hard to be cured in the past.
“In Chinese medicine, such diseases happened because Luo are blocked, therefore, it is necessary to clear out Luo vessel to relieve the illness. The Chinese clinical experts in the present day has brought this topic back again and been continuing to solve mystery about Luo. They have been doing extensive research to find out how it functions and treatment on Luo related disease. Up till now, Luo has been put as one of national research topic in China,” he explained.
Over his decades of work, he has been working on this concept by conceptualizing Luo to be more understandable. Furthermore, he has been working on theorizing the relationship between Luo and the diseases such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes and treatment.
One of his discoveries in relations to Luo was Tongxinluo capsules in 1996. It was medicine that could help to treat cardiovascular disease. According to the research “Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound (Tongxinluo) and Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction” published on “JAMA”，one of the top international medical journals, it reveals that Tongxinluo improved both 30-day and 1-year clinical outcomes in adverting cardiac and cerebrovascular events, a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, emergent coronary revascularizations, and stroke.
“From this research, it has proved that this medicine had great contribution in helping many patients. Furthermore, this medicine is valuable for further research to save more lives. Therefore, we need more collaboration among researchers and academics, and we want public to recognize its healing properties that it could reduce death among these patients. Currently, we are working to boost its properties to be much better,” he explained.
Then, another Chinese medicine called Lianhua Qingwen capsules that could help to cure respiratory disease such as influenza. Furthermore, during the Covid-19 outbreak in China, Lianhua has been the staple medicine that save many Chinese household, and it later spread to other countries including Thailand that Lianhua Qingwen capsules have become one of medicine that put on pharmacy shelf during Covid-19 due to its healing properties in respiratory system.
“Actually, Lianhua Qingwen has been developed from our ancient Chinese medicine 1000 years ago, and it had mentioned in historical archives for 200-300 times. Thus, our ancient root has become strong base in developing Lianhua Qingwen. Even if Covid-19 has been much resolved, but people still use it because it could help to relieve other disease such as cold or fever. In fact, many Chinese medicine todays had been developed from ancient medicines and our enriched history has been a stronghold for us to develop today Chinese medicine because illness has long been staying with us since ancient time and Chinese medicine has long been treating us all along,” he added.
In relations to traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine, he explained that there was the comparison among them in which, in fact both have different properties that the modern or western medicine has only one property, while Chinese medicine has broad properties that is better in responding to human body complexity. He also added that Chinese medicine also helped to balance nutrition and body composition as well.
“Thailand has legally accepted Chinese medicine and as we can see Lianhua Qingwen are very well received by Thai people. This manifests that Chinese medicine is also good as the western medicine. But I believe that both Chinese medicine and modern or western medicine can contribute together in saving people lives,” he said.
As such, he said he wanted to expand this science around the world, in which many countries like in Europe started to recognize the healing capacity of Chinese medicines.
“Last week, there was clinical conference in Beijing, in which it helps to expand our wisdom to many foreign experts. By having such forums, it would help to spread Chinese medicine further and help Chinese medicine grow stronger as well,” he explained.
