Clinical evidence and mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine in major diseases

Abstract Major diseases cause a double blow to patients' physical and mental health and family life and pose a great challenge to the healthcare system. The high incidence of major diseases compels us to constantly improve the medical prevention and treatment system to reduce disability and death rates as much as possible. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used in the treatment of malignancies and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke, in the rehabilitation of patients with these diseases, as well as in the prevention and treatment of new outbreaks of infectious diseases and other major illnesses. After the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, the clinical application of “three prescriptions and three drugs” has greatly increased the cure rate, reduced the mortality rate, and provided a “Chinese solution” for global epidemic prevention and control. This article reviewed the clinical evidence and mechanisms of action of TCM in the prevention and treatment of major diseases, summarized the advances, and proposed future research directions to provide scientific evidence to expand the clinical application of TCM and improve its efficacy for the benefit of all humankind.