The municipal health department in Beijing has claimed that some A (H1N1) flu patients in the city have been cured with a 5,000-year-old traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment.

As of Thursday, eight out of 17 flu patients handpicked for the TCM-only treatment have fully recovered from the pandemic, said a notice issued by the Beijing Health Bureau today.

The non-Tamiflu medication has also shown great promise for the remaining nine recovering patients who would be discharged soon, the bureau said.

Nearly 90 percent of the A (H1N1) flu patients in China have been treated with a combination of TCM and western medicine, according to the Ministry of Health.

From chinadaily.com.cn