Herbs, such as Indigowoad Root and honeysuckle, are believed to ease some flu symptoms, according to traditional Chinese medicine. [China Daily]

In early May, the Chinese Ministry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine raised public debate when they unveiled a Chinese-medicine plan, including prevention, to combat H1N1, the world's newest epidemic, popularly known as swine flu.

The recommended concoction called on mulberry leaves, cogongrass rhizome, honeysuckle and nine other ingredients, but netizens raised doubts over how a traditional preparation could help prevent such a new disease. "Has anyone ever heard Chinese medicine say there's a disease they don't have a cure for?" joked a commenter on the popular message board site, Douban.

Herbs, such as Indigowoad Root and honeysuckle, are believed to ease some flu symptoms, according to traditional Chinese medicine. Liu Junfeng

Yet, Chinese-language media have been quick to weigh in against those who don't understand traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

"From the perspective of Chinese medicine, the swine flu is not so different from other types of flu and can most certainly be prevented and treated by means of Chinese medicine," says Dr Heiner Fruehauf, Founding Professor of the School of Classical Chinese Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

According to TCM theory, by adjusting the body to its environment, even people exposed to the virus will not become infected, says Dr Liu Qingquan, director of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine's Dongzhimen emergency treatment department.

Based on his experience in treating patients with SARS, Dr Liu explains Chinese medicine's theoretical framework for fighting diseases, such as H1N1.

"The environment that we find ourselves in might have the swine flu virus but [if you're properly suited to your environment] Chinese medicine thinks it's not nosogenetic [harmful] to you, whereas it is nosogenetic to me."

According to Dr Xu Wenbing, Chairman of the Hope Institute of Chinese Medicine in Beijing, the traditional medicines for SARS and the H1N1 do not attack the virus. Instead, they try to remove those internal conditions in the body that allow the virus to live.

"There is no medicine to directly kill the virus. A virus is like a seed: It needs things like temperature and water to grow," Dr Xu says. "When you take away these conditions, the body will cure itself."

In adjusting the body to fight H1N1, TCM doctors use medicines that target the digestive system. Whereas medicines designed for SARS treated the respiratory system, medicines for H1N1 target the digestive system, reflecting the finding that the illness triggers symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea.

In order to treat the digestive system, TCM takes into account factors, such as the season and the weather. The summer season, says Dr Xu, can throw off the digestive system, cutting appetite, sending the body's heat to the surface, and making the stomach cold.

He suggests some simple steps to put the stomach's temperature back in balance: "Drink hot water and put ginger or cinnamon in it. If people always take cold beverages, eat ice cream, or drink water directly from the refrigerator, they will harm their stomach."