Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation (CARP-RF)

This Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulation is a complex herbal mixture developed by Peking Union Medical College Hospital for the adjunctive treatment of severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. Evaluated in the CARP-RF (Chinese Adaptive Randomised Pneumonia Trial With Respiratory Failure) trial, the formulation comprises twelve herbal components: Trichosanthes and Rhubarb (Monarch herbs); Gypsum, Bitter Apricot Seed, Descurainia Seed, and Verbena (Minister herbs); Glehnia, Adenophora, Astragalus, Ophiopogon, and Schisandra (Assistant herbs); and Licorice (Guide herb). It is administered twice daily via oral or enteral routes for seven days to ICU patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. The treatment aims to reduce 28-day all-cause mortality by leveraging the synergistic effects of its botanical constituents, though specific molecular targets are not defined.

Other names

TCM formulationCARP-RF TCM formulation