2.2  Inclusion and exclusion criteria
This study focused on the recommended treatment modalities related to traditional medicine for COVID-19. All guidelines that provide traditional medicine treatment measures were included regardless of language, and publication types and years. Guidelines that only provide preventive measures without treatment measures were excluded.
Herbal formulae related to folk medicine were excluded only and other herbal formulae in these guidelines were included. As the guidelines were outlined based on regional characteristics, regional folk medicines, such as Tibetan medicine in Tibet, Mongolian medicine in Inner Mongolia, and Miao medicine in Guizhou province, were integrated into their guidelines.