The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, infamously known as SARS, began to spread across Asian countries including Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, etc. in the February of 2003. Today, it has spread to 26 countries around the world with 5050 people infected by the virus and 321 dead. Viet Nam became the first nation to be excluded from the SARS "affected areas" appointed by the World Health Organization, on April 28.

In our country too, the first SARS patient presumptive was reported on April 29, and with the massive return of Korean students in China in the future, the dark shadow of SARS casts anxiety and dread everywhere.

How can SARS, a mysterious disease that grows stronger still, be treated in the way of Korean Medicine?

SARS is a contagious disease that accompanies fever of over 38 , chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, and/or headache and muscular pain. In three to seven days, symptoms like dry cough without phlegm and difficult respiration occur.

With these facts as evidence, SARS can be said as Epidemic Febrile disease in Korean Medicine. Epidemic Febrile disease is an acute infectious disease that accompanies high fever. In <Dong Eui Bo Gam> Hyung-bang-pae-dok-san and Hyang-so-san are recommended for the early symptoms of Epidemic Febrile disease. But the book does not contain much details on Epidemic Febrile disease, because <Dong Eui Bo Gam> embraces much of the Chinese Medicine to the Ming Dynasty, and studies on Epidemic Febrile disease has prospered in the Qing Dynasty. Also, regionally, Korea is not likely to develop Epidemic Febrile disease disease. Epidemic Febrile disease broke out in the subtropical climate zone along the Southeast coast in China. Therefore, since SARS show similar symptoms as the common cold in the beginning stage the said prescriptions can be useful, but a different diagnosis and medication is needed after the latent period.

In Korean Medicine the doctor diagnoses an illness through and overall analysis of the patient's symptoms and sings. Such a way of diagnosis is called Byun-Jeung.

The OMS-PRIME (a diagnosing program developed by professionals in Korean Medicine) analyses SARS as first appearing as Wing and Heat Attacking the Lungs similar to cold, then developing into Warmness and Dryness Harming the Lungs or Dryness and Heat Harming the Lungs that are catagorized as Epidemic Febrile disease.

銀翹散(Yeon-kyo-san), first introduced in 『溫病條變』, has been widely prescribed for early stages of febrile disease, which shows symptoms of fever without sweating, slight aversion to Wind an Coldness, headache, thirstiness, cough, throat irritation, reddened tip of the tongue, thin and white or thin and yellow tongue coating, and floated and fast pulse.

銀翹散(Yeon-kyo-san) consists of

Forsythiae Fructus 30g

Lonicerae Flos 30g

Platycodi Radix 18g

Mentae Herba 18g

Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam 12g

Glycyrrhizae Radix 15g

Schizonepetae Herba 12g

담두시 15g

Arctii Semen 18g

淸燥求肺湯(Chung-jo-goo-pe-tang) first appears in 『醫門法律』 of Qing dynasty for treating symptoms of fever all over the body, headache, dry cough without phlegm, cough from uprising Ki(氣逆而喘), dry throat, dry nose, feeling of abdominal swelling, hypogastric pain, dry tongue with no coating, and big but hollow and fast pulse.

淸燥求肺湯(Chung-jo-goo-pe-tang) consists of

Mori Folium 9g

Fibrosum Gypsum 8g

Glycyrrhize Radix 3g

Ginseng Radix 2g

호마인 3g

아교 3g

Ophiopogonis Radix 4g

Arminiaceae Semen 2g

Eriobotryae Folium 3g

Prevalence of SARS in China caused skyrocketing of some herbs as prescriptions for prevention or treatment were announced. China National Administration of Traditional Remedies has introduced a prescription for SARS and similar diseases. It consists of Astragali Radix 15g, Lonicerae Flos 15g, Bupleuri Radix 10g, Scutellariae Radix 10g, Isatidis Folium 15g, 관중 15g, Atractylodis Rhizoma 10g, 생의이인 15g, Agastaches Herba 10g, Saposhnikoviae Radix 10g, and Glycyrrhizae Radix 5g, for intake twice a day for ten to fourteen days.

PS: On checking the tourists through the air ports, examination of the tongue should also be performed. If the person has inflammation in the airway, causing fever, the tongue shows redness on the tip with eruptions over the tongue surface.