Lianhua Qingwen Capsules, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, are composed of ingredients such as Forsythia, Honeysuckle, Ephedra, Gypsum, and Isatis Root. Their primary functions are to clear heat (清热, qīng rè)—which includes reducing fever—detoxify (解毒, jiě dú), and alleviate symptoms of respiratory infections such as the flu and common cold. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lianhua Qingwen gained significant attention after being included in China’s official treatment guidelines for COVID-19, sparking widespread debate.

Background and Usage

Developed by Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical, Lianhua Qingwen Capsules are primarily used to relieve fever, cough, and sore throat. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were widely prescribed in China and endorsed by the National Health Commission as an auxiliary treatment for mild and ordinary cases of COVID-19 and other respiratory ailments.

This endorsement conferred substantial social significance on the medicine but also made it a focal point for debates over scientific rigor, public policy, and popular trust. Central to these discussions were questions about whether the medicine’s promotion aligned with its actual efficacy and whether its role as a representative of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) could withstand scrutiny under modern medical standards.

Controversies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The widespread use of Lianhua Qingwen during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked considerable controversy, with debates centering on efficacy, marketing strategies, and patterns of public misuse.

Scientific Questions About Efficacy

Supporters highlight the drug’s basis in TCM principles, claiming benefits such as clearing heat (清热, qīng rè), detoxifying (解毒, jiě dú), and modulating (调节, tiáo jié) the immune system. Modulation, rather than indiscriminate boosting of immune activity, is emphasized because excessive immune responses can worsen symptoms, especially in severe COVID-19 cases.

However, critics point to the lack of high-quality, internationally recognized randomized controlled trials (RCTs) substantiating these claims. Much of the evidence in support of Lianhua Qingwen comes from domestic studies in China, often criticized for small sample sizes and methodological limitations. Furthermore, TCM’s holistic and individualized approach does not align easily with modern empirical research frameworks, which favor standardized, replicable trials over personalized treatments.

Marketing and Commercial Interests

Aggressive promotion during the pandemic turned Lianhua Qingwen into a household name, but critics argue that such marketing overstated its effectiveness. Advertisements often presented the medicine as a key preventive tool, potentially misleading the public. The financial success of Yiling Pharmaceutical during this period raised concerns that commercial interests were prioritized over public health.

The Chinese government’s strong support of TCM—reinforced by officials from the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine—framed such treatments as expressions of national self-reliance and cultural pride. This official endorsement not only elevated TCM on the global stage but also reinforced domestic soft power. As the manufacturer of a state-endorsed remedy, Yiling Pharmaceutical inevitably benefited from this alignment of commercial, political, and cultural interests.

Public Misuse and Adverse Effects

The widespread use of Lianhua Qingwen, including by asymptomatic individuals as a preventive measure, led to concerns about misuse and potential side effects, such as gastrointestinal discomfort and allergic reactions. For many citizens, the medicine came to symbolize the government’s approach to pandemic management, reflecting China’s strategic emphasis on TCM in public health.

While supporters regarded Lianhua Qingwen as evidence of China’s medical strength, critics saw its prominence as a form of nationalist propaganda—one that masked deeper systemic issues, such as unequal access to quality healthcare, limited supplies of modern antiviral treatments, and infrastructural weaknesses exposed during large-scale outbreaks.

Analysis Through Medical Anthropology and Sociology

The controversies surrounding Lianhua Qingwen extend beyond medical debates, reflecting broader intersections of culture, society, and politics.

Cultural Identity and Medical Authority

As a cornerstone of TCM, Lianhua Qingwen’s popularity is deeply rooted in cultural heritage and public trust in traditional principles like “clearing heat” and “detoxifying.” Its status illustrates the tension between long-standing traditional practices and the demands of evidence-based medicine.

TCM practitioners evaluate efficacy through holistic observation, syndrome differentiation (辨证论治, biàn zhèng lùn zhì), and patient response over time rather than standardized clinical trials. Diagnosis is based on imbalances in qi (气), yin-yang (阴阳), and the five elements (五行), with illness often attributed to external pathogenic influences like wind (风), cold (寒), dampness (湿), heat (热), and toxins (毒). Lianhua Qingwen is believed to “clear heat” and “expel toxins” by counteracting internal heat excess (热邪, rè xié) and removing external pathogens (外邪, wài xié). Unlike Western medicine, which isolates active compounds for testing, TCM emphasizes systemic balance and symptom patterning over discrete disease categories.

Political Strategy and the Endorsement of TCM

Although early Chinese revolutionary discourse, including Maoism, initially sought to break from traditional practices, Mao and his successors later embraced TCM for both practical and ideological reasons. In the 1950s, China’s lack of Western-trained doctors and pharmaceutical resources made TCM an affordable and accessible solution for mass healthcare. Its promotion also served the political goal of zì lì gèng shēng (自力更生)—self-reliance—by framing Chinese medical knowledge as valuable in its own right.

During the Cultural Revolution, TCM was further politicized, most notably through the “barefoot doctor” (赤脚医生, chìjiǎo yīshēng) movement, which mobilized rural healthcare using a blend of Western and traditional approaches. Today, the Chinese government continues to frame TCM as a marker of cultural sovereignty and soft power, positioning it as a viable alternative to Western biomedicine in both domestic and global contexts.

Thus, for some, Lianhua Qingwen symbolizes national pride and cultural preservation. For others, it raises concerns about a potential departure from scientific rigor in health governance.

Trust During a Crisis

In times of public health crisis, trust in authority becomes crucial. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened public anxiety and demand for alternative therapies, making Lianhua Qingwen a symbol of hope—one shaped more by cultural belief and state endorsement than by conclusive scientific evidence. Its use became not only a medical response but also a psychological coping mechanism.

This phenomenon mirrored dynamics in the West, where figures like Donald Trump promoted unproven drugs like chloroquine in ways that defied medical expertise. In both China and the U.S., mistrust of formal healthcare systems, fueled by social inequalities and political tensions, encouraged people to turn to alternative remedies—whether rooted in traditional knowledge or populist ideology.

Commercialization vs. Public Health

The promotion of Lianhua Qingwen raises broader ethical questions about balancing commercial success and public health. As a private company, Yiling Pharmaceutical saw a major boost in visibility and profit during the pandemic. This success highlights the challenge of ensuring that market incentives do not undermine scientific integrity or obscure the complexities of public health decision-making.