Shuanghuanglian

Shuanghuanglian is a Chinese patent medicine with a long history for treating respiratory tract infection in China. Some of its active ingredients are Wogonin, Baicalin and baicalein. It is derived from three Chinese herbal medicines, namely, Japanese honeysuckle, Baikal skullcap, and weeping forsythia. It has been used for the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections since 1973. Several forms are described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
The substance has been shown in vitro to be cytotoxic "against a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2".

History

In July 2020, Su et al reported on an in vitro experiment of its effect on COVID-19. Following the release of the report, which was in part supported by the Jack Ma Foundation, there was an uptick in Shuanghuanglian sales.